In Zubeen Garg death case, five accused sent to judicial custody as probe intensifies
The court of the chief judicial magistrate of the Kamrup Metropolitan district, Baloram Kshetri, sent the accused, Siddharth Sharma, Shyamkanu Mahanta, Paresh Baishya, Nandeswar Bora, and Sandipan Garg, to judicial custody after their police remand expired.
New Delhi: The probe into the death of iconic Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, who has captivated our hearts with his melodious voice, has taken a new turn. Now, a Guwahati court has sent five of the seven accused arrested in connection with his death in Singapore last month to judicial custody, on Wednesday.
Which accused have been sent to judicial custody?
The court of the chief judicial magistrate of the Kamrup Metropolitan district, Baloram Kshetri, sent the accused, Siddharth Sharma, Shyamkanu Mahanta, Paresh Baishya, Nandeswar Bora, and Sandipan Garg, to judicial custody after their police remand expired. They have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Notably, no lawyer agreed to represent them, and they have been transferred to a different jail, which is currently empty due to security reasons.
Earlier this month, the special investigation team (SIT) of Assam police’s criminal investigation department (CID) arrested them for being allegedly involved in Garg’s death on September 19, who passed away while having a swim in the sea in Singapore.
Who is the accused in question?
Shyamkanu Mahanta is the Singapore event's organiser whom Garg went to attend. On the other hand, Siddharth Sharma is the manager of Garg, and Sandipan, an officer of the Assam police, is the late singer's cousin. When Garg died, Sharma and Sandipan were present there, while Mahanta was also in Singapore.
Baishya and Bora are constables of the Assam police who were part of Garg’s security. It has been alleged that they mishandled the late singer’s money and have been suspended.
Special DGP (CID) and head of the 10-member SIT, MP Gupta, said, "Five accused were produced in court on Wednesday following expiry of their police remand. The police remand of Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma, which was the maximum period of 14 days, is already over, and they will be sent to judicial custody."
As per Gupta, two more accused, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta, will be produced in court on September 17 when their remand expires. The CID has issued notices to 11 NRIs based in Singapore, out of which 7 have arrived in Guwahati for the probe. Gupta said, "The last one, Wajid Ahmed, who is a Singapore citizen (with origins in Assam), has not reached yet. He has also expressed his desire to come and record his statement. We are hopeful that it will happen soon."
He also debunked a viral post-mortem report and said, "That report, which is circulating, doesn’t have any signature of doctors. The correct post-mortem report is with us. I request that all not spread fake information that can lead to misunderstanding among the public. We will take action against such persons."