Silchar: In a significant development, the Assam police have received the crucial viscera sample test report of the celebrated singer Zubeen Garg. The report, sent from New Delhi’s Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), was confirmed by Munna Prasad Gupta, the Special Director General of Police for the Crime Investigation Department (CID).
Gupta, who also heads the Special Investigation Team (SIT) tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding Garg’s passing, stated that the received report has been forwarded to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). A specialized team at GMCH is now undertaking a detailed analysis of the findings.
“The report arrived from the CFSL on Friday evening, and a dedicated team at GMCH is currently scrutinizing it. These findings will be integrated into the comprehensive final postmortem report of the late singer,” Gupta informed the media in Guwahati on Saturday afternoon.
Zubeen Garg passed away in Singapore on September 19. Initially, the Singaporean hospital had attributed his death to drowning. However, the Assam Police subsequently formed an SIT to probe any potential foul play.
As part of their investigation, the SIT apprehended Garg’s Singapore festival organizer, Shyamkanu Mahanta, and his secretary, Siddharth Sharma, on October 1. The following day, two musicians, Amritprabha Mahanta and Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, were also taken into custody. All four individuals were placed under a 14-day police remand, and several other persons have since been summoned for questioning.
Additionally, Garg’s cousin, Sandipan Garg, along with two personal security officers (PSOs), were arrested earlier this week in connection with the same case. Gupta confirmed that all arrested individuals are currently undergoing interrogation, and they will be presented before the court again once their remand period concludes.
The SIT had also summoned 11 Assam residents present in Singapore during the yacht party where Zubeen Garg’s death occurred. However, only one individual complied with the summons. “We are consistently urging them to cooperate with the investigation. Should they fail to do so, appropriate legal action will be pursued,” Gupta stated.
He further mentioned that the Assam police have formally requested the cooperation of the Singaporean police in their investigation, with the Government of India providing assistance in obtaining the necessary mutual legal aid. “While we cannot conduct investigations directly in Singapore, we are prepared to support their police efforts if permitted. We have requested them to provide a report based on a fresh investigation, which will be incorporated into our final report before submission to the court,” Gupta added.
During interrogation, one of the arrested singers, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, alleged that Zubeen Garg was a victim of a meticulously planned murder, orchestrated by Siddharth Sharma and Shyamkanu Mahanta, with poison allegedly being the method of execution.
In response to these allegations, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma commented that Goswami might be making such claims to exculpate himself. He emphasized that the viscera sample test results would be pivotal in helping the police determine whether poison was indeed involved.
Earlier in the week, the Chief Minister had asserted that if the death was found to be a planned murder, no one involved would escape accountability. Zubeen’s wife, Garima Garg, expressed her satisfaction with the ongoing investigation, stating that the family has faith in the legal process.
Following Zubeen Garg’s demise, approximately 60 police complaints were registered across Assam, including an FIR filed by his family. The CID is overseeing all these cases, as confirmed by Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Zubeen Garg’s body underwent two post-mortem examinations – one in Singapore and another in Guwahati on the day of his funeral. The initial autopsy report from Singapore was handed over to Garima Garg by state government officials. However, she subsequently provided it to the Assam Police, citing her lack of expertise in legal matters.
The Chief Minister later announced that the autopsy report would not be made public to safeguard the investigation’s integrity. However, individuals wishing to review it could do so at the CID office with prior permission.