Zubeen Garg case: AJP chief flags conflicting narratives, selective disclosure

Guwahati, Oct 13: Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, on Monday, raised a series of questions surrounding the ongoing probe into circumstances that led to the death of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg in Singapore.

Addressing a press meet alongside Sitranan Basumatary and Raju Phukan at his residence in Jayanagar, Gogoi said that even after 25 days of Garg’s death, “justice continues to remain clouded by confusion and selective disclosure”.

He alleged that several of the accused in the case share “close personal and political links” with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, questioning whether a fair and transparent investigation is possible under such circumstances.

Gogoi demanded clarity, saying the Chief Minister had first claimed that Shyamkanu Mahanta’s name was not on the list of accused.

The AJP chief further noted that conflicting narratives had since emerged, including reports of paragliding, a yacht fall and scuba diving, before the official report eventually stated drowning as the cause of death.

Gogoi added that the Chief Minister later went live and called it a “murder”. He said, “If he had access to such information, he must reveal his source, be it the post-mortem, Singapore authorities or the SIT. If he cannot, he too must face questioning.”

Referring to comments by SDGP Munna Prasad Gupta, Gogoi accused the government of inaction, stating that the investigation team had not yet travelled to Singapore, citing lack of approval under the Mutual Legal Assistance Request (MLAR).

“There are other provisions like Letter Rogatory or BNSS Section 208 that could have been used. Has the government even tried?” he asked, also alleging that the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Singapore had not been invoked.

He also questioned why Garg’s ashes, which were supposed to be distributed across districts, have not yet been handed over, and urged the government to make the post-mortem report public “if not restricted by law”.

On the recent summons of Assamese expatriates from Singapore, Gogoi pointed to Abhimanyu Talukdar, president of the Assam Association in Singapore, calling him a “mysterious figure” with “close links to the Chief Minister”.

He alleged that Talukdar, a former journalist and IIMC alumnus, has been seen with Sarma at various events, including Smile Asia Foundation and CLAT Care Assam, since the latter’s tenure as Health Minister.

“Talukdar’s name has surfaced repeatedly in connection with the accused. If the Chief Minister has personal association with such people, can we truly expect justice?” Gogoi questioned.

The AJP chief also criticised the government on why no official delegation was sent to Singapore to bring back Garg’s remains and why the North East India Festival continued despite the tragedy.

Gogoi said the Chief Minister’s claims of filing a chargesheet within three months appeared to be “a deliberate attempt to delay the process”.

He demanded the resignation of DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, brother of accused Shyamkanu Mahanta, on moral grounds.