The Assam CID will probe the circumstances leading to the death of popular singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that he has asked Assam Police to transfer all the First Information Reports (FIRs) in the case to the CID and to register a consolidated case for a thorough investigation.
The 52-year-old singer died on Friday while swimming in the sea without a life jacket, the Chief Minister informed yesterday.
He was in Singapore to attend the three-day North East India Festival that was scheduled to begin today. It was cancelled after the singer’s death.
Multiple FIRs have been filed against Syamkanu Mahanta – the chief organiser of Northeast festival and Sidharth Sarma – Zubeen Garg’s manager – in connection with the singer’s sudden death, Mr Sarma said.
Mr Mahanta said Zubeen Garg was not asked to perform at the festival. “But he always attended our events, whether in India or abroad. He felt it was his duty, as a prominent figure from the Northeast, to represent the region and give out a positive message about the region from all platforms,” he claimed.
He also claimed that a section of people was trying to peddle a false narrative.
“I want to make it clear that Zubeen Garg had come on his own free will. There are videos circulating on social media claiming that he had already performed in Singapore, which is not true as our event was scheduled to begin on Friday and he had not participated in any event before the mishap occurred,” he said.
Himanta Biswa Sarma said that he has also spoken to the Singapore High Commissioner in India, Simon Wong, and requested a detailed inquiry into the death.
The first FIR was lodged against North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and the singer’s manager Siddhartha Sharma at Morigaon police station, alleging that they (the accused), as a “part of a conspiracy, took Zubeen to a foreign country, on the pretext of singing but with the motive to kill him”.
A state mourning has been declared for the singer from September 20 to 22. During this period, there will be no official entertainment, dinners, or ceremonial functions.
His post-mortem was completed in the Singapore hospital and handed over to his team through Ithe ndian High Commission. The singer’s body will be flown from Singapore to New Delhi this evening and Himanta Biswa Sarma will receive it in New Delhi, and it will be brought back to Guwahati in a special flight by 6 am tommorrow.
