Assam Director General of Police Harmeet Singh said on Monday that the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), inquiring into the death of singer Zubeen Garg, will reach its “final conclusion.”
The Assam government constituted a 10-member SIT, led by Special DGP M P Gupta, to probe into the singer’s death in Singapore due to drowning in the sea on September 19. Garg had gone to the island country to perform at that fest.
“This is a very important SIT, and the investigations have progressed far. The findings will be submitted in the court of law,” Harmeet Sing was quoted by PTI as saying on the sidelines of a programme held in Guwahati.
‘Legally wrong if..’
The DGP said the findings cannot be announced publicly and that “it will be legally wrong from my side.”
“One aspect is, however, clear that as per the directives of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the law of the country, the inquiry will be transparent and a proper scientific investigation will be carried out,” he said.
Let us follow the legal process or else the case will become weak in the court. Let the SIT do its work and all should support the team,” the DGP said.
He said that lookout notices have already been issued against the North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma, in the singer’s death case.
“The accused will be brought back to the state and there should not be any doubt about it. It is a legal process. If they do not respond, we will take the next step of the law, which will be much harsher,” Singh said.
‘Invoking MLAT with Singapore’
The DGP said that a police team is already in Delhi, and two other officers will soon go to Singapore. He pointed out that the process of invoking the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Singapore has already started.
The MLAT is an agreement between countries that facilitates the exchange of information and evidence for law enforcement purposes and India has it with Singapore. Singh said that the related papers will go from the Ministry of Home Affairs to that country “so that we can seek the help of Singaporean authorities in the investigation.”
‘It is my promise…’
The DGP said the CID will inform the people about investigations through the media from time to time.
Urging the people to believe in him, the Assam police and the state government, the DGP said, “The inquiry will reach its final conclusion, it is my promise.”
The DGP also requested that if anyone has any evidence then they should inform the authorities, and none should indulge in rumour-mongering. The SIT has already issued notices to 10 people, including Mahanta, Sharma and members of Singapore Assam Association, to appear before it and record their statements.
The CM had said earlier that a ‘lookout notice’ through the Interpol had been issued against Mahanta and Sharma, asking them to appear before the CID on October six. More than 60 FIRs, including one by his family, have been filed in connection with Garg’s death.
