Two band members associated with the late singer Zubeen Garg – Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta – have been sent to judicial custody. This remand follows the completion of their 14-day police custody, as investigations continue into the singer’s death in Singapore last month.
The pair appeared before the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate, who ordered their judicial custody. They were subsequently transported away from the court in separate police vehicles.
Both individuals are scheduled to be presented in court once more within the next two weeks.
Officials have remained silent regarding the specific prison where Goswami and Mahanta will be held. This secrecy comes in the wake of violent protests outside Baksa District Jail on Wednesday, where five other individuals accused in the same case were lodged after their own judicial remand.
Goswami and Mahanta were initially arrested on October 3rd, following extensive interrogation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). They were then placed in police custody for 14 days.
A total of seven individuals have now been arrested by the SIT since October 1st in connection with this case, with all of them having been placed in judicial custody.
The renowned singer Zubeen Garg tragically passed away on September 19th in Singapore while swimming in the sea.
Among those previously remanded to judicial custody on October 15th by the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate were Shyamkanu Mahanta, chief organizer of the North East India Festival; Siddhartha Sharma, Garg’s manager; Sandipan Garg, his cousin and a police officer; and his personal security officers, Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya.
Significant crowds had formed outside the jail, vehemently protesting the transfer of the accused to Baksa. Some demonstrators even called for the suspects to be handed over to the public, demanding immediate “justice for Zubeen.”
The Assam Police resorted to lathicharge and tear gas to disperse the agitated mob. The protesters reportedly attacked, set ablaze several vehicles, and hurled stones at the convoy transporting the five accused.
Following the unrest, prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS have been enacted in Mushalpur town and areas surrounding the jail. Furthermore, internet and mobile data services across the entire Baksa district have been suspended until further notice, according to officials.
The clashes resulted in injuries to several individuals, including police personnel, media representatives, and local residents. Earlier, the Assam government had formed a 10-member Special Investigation Team to probe Garg’s death in Singapore.
Over 60 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been lodged statewide against Mahanta, Sharma, and other individuals involved. Consequently, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has instructed the Director General of Police to transfer all these FIRs to the CID, consolidating them into a single case for a comprehensive investigation.