7 of 8 present with Zubeen Garg during his last moments yet to respond to CID summons: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said barring one, seven others present with singer Zubeen Garg during his last moments in Singapore were yet to respond to CID summons.

Sarma said Rupkamal Kalita, who was present on the yacht when Garg died while swimming in the sea on September 19, has responded to the summons of the SIT probing into his death. Kalita will come to Guwahati on Tuesday, the CM said.

However, the seven others have not said anything about coming to Assam to help in the investigation, Sarma said at a media briefing here.

'We will maintain pressure on them... the sooner they come, we can finish the investigation. We will motivate them to cooperate with us,' he said.

'We believe that if one comes, the others will also follow,' Sarma said.

Sarma said some family members claim they cannot come because Singapore police is not allowing them, while others say their jobs abroad would be at risk if they return for interrogation.

The CID has issued summons to 8 out of the 11 people who were in the yacht with the singer when the incident happened.

He also said the Assam Police was not required to go to Singapore for the investigation, as under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), 'whatever evidence the Singapore Police gathers will be shared with us'.

"Our request has already been sent to Singapore, but no foreign country will allow the police of another country to investigate on their soil,' the chief minister added.

Four persons, including Zubeen's manager Siddhartha Sharma, musician Shekharjyoti Goswami, Singer Amritprava Mahanta and North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta have been arrested and are currently in police custody.

The CM said central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (IT) department will look into the accounts of Mahanta and 'we have already requested them to help us'.

'We do not want to spare anybody and so we will need the help of central agencies during the process', he said.

Asked about funds released for the NEIF, Sarma said the state government has released very little amount and this year and 'I rejected all the files'.

'Mahanta had raised money for the festivals from our neighbouring states in the North East and not from Assam. I last attended his function in 2015 and not after that', he added.

On Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi's demand for a CBI inquiry into Garg's death, Sarma accused him of "doing politics over a dead person" and labelled him a "politician of the lowest level." "When Zubeen was alive, did Gogoi ever attend his programmes or tweet that he liked his music?" he asked.

"Some people think they can garner votes from this, but it will have an opposite reaction as no one wants to do politics over a dead person," he added.

He said Gogoi and Mahanta are pushing the same demand and pointed out that the two had numerous photos online together: "This is not proof of any wrongdoing," he said.

Sarma emphasised that the probe is not being conducted by him but by the police; if any party is dissatisfied, they may approach the courts.

He accused some of "diluting Zubeen's death," alleging that for many "justice for him is not the issue but they want to find fault with others with whom they have problems." "There are now two groups of people who write on social media — one consisting of genuine fans of the singer wanting a logical conclusion to the investigation, and the other wanting to defeat the BJP in the Assembly polls by taking advantage of Zubeen's death," he said.

Sarma also shared a video clip of a maulavi heard saying that the singer's wife should be given a ticket from his constituency, Jalukbari, in the 2026 Assembly polls.

He said one group is demanding full public disclosure of the investigation, while another questions why the investigation is being revealed at all.

"Some have even asked that the video link of the investigation be shared," he added.

Regarding the post-mortem report, he said it cannot be made public by the government as a rule of law, though a certified copy can be obtained from the court.

He admitted that a "ground of arrest" document — in which one arrested person claimed Garg had been poisoned — was also withheld from public release, but given to the family "as per the rule." Pointing out that many people had attended functions organised by Mahanta and had their pictures taken with him, Sarma said, "That does not mean they are involved in any wrongdoing."  Appealing to the public, he said, "Believe in the police for the investigation and in the judicial commission — only then can we reach a logical conclusion. But if media and public want to conduct it, then there will be no headway." Sarma concluded: "It is the government's responsibility to inform the people whether Zubeen's death was a murder or not." PTI DG RBT

  MNB

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