Assam’s political establishment was shaken during the Assemly session, as Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told the state assembly that singer Zubeen Garg’s death in Singapore was “not an accident” but “a clear case of murder,” a declaration that immediately heightened public scrutiny of the ongoing probe.
Speaking during an adjournment motion allowed by the Speaker, Sarma said investigators had already identified the person allegedly responsible for killing Garg, along with several others who aided the act. He added that the Special Investigation Team had “within days” invoked murder charges and was preparing a “watertight” chargesheet likely to be submitted in December.
The Chief Minister, who also oversees the Home portfolio, detailed the scale of the inquiry underway. Seven arrests have been made so far, 252 witnesses examined and 29 items seized, he told the House. The police had initially registered a case of culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy on 20 September, a day after Garg was found dead.
Garg drowned while swimming off the Singapore coast, where he had travelled for the North East India Festival. However, Sarma asserted that early findings left investigators convinced the death was “not negligence, nor rash behaviour,” but “murder, plain and simple,” prompting the inclusion of Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Also read: Zubeen Garg probe nearing end, CM repeats ‘murder’ claim
According to Sarma, the suspected motive, linked to financial dealings, would “shock the people of Assam,” and the inquiry would span events dating back nearly eight years. He emphasised that “no one who betrayed Zubeen will be spared.”
Responding to the Opposition’s criticism of procedural lapses, Sarma defended the pace and quality of the inquiry, arguing that undermining officers before the chargesheet was placed on record would be unfair. He said post-mortem findings in Singapore were largely upheld by experts at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, where a second examination was conducted.
He rejected the Opposition’s demand for a CBI investigation but said he was open to a review by a House Committee should discrepancies emerge after the chargesheet is filed.
The discussion ended on a tense note. Congress MLAs staged a brief walkout, alleging that the debate had not been formally closed. Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi was suspended and escorted out after brandishing a placard inside the House.
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