Tensions flared in Guwahati as law enforcement personnel blocked a gathering of over one hundred individuals attempting to form a human chain outside the Assam Secretariat. The demonstrators, who were calling for accountability and punishment for those allegedly responsible for the death of singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore last year, were swiftly removed from the site in buses. Organizers emphasized that the assembly was framed as a grassroots public initiative rather than a formal political party demonstration.
Public Mobilization and Protests
Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi, heading the Raijor Dal, had previously appealed to citizens to gather outside the government headquarters. He had also requested official permission from the chief minister to stage the event. Supporters and members from various civic organizations arrived carrying placards demanding justice, but police intervened to prevent any prolonged demonstration, detaining those present. The protest followed a strategic meeting convened by Gogoi at Zubeen Kshetra, the late singer's cremation site on the outskirts of Guwahati.
Legal Proceedings and Charges Filed
During that gathering, a twenty-one-member committee was established to press officials for a supplementary charge sheet, seek severe penalties for the accused, challenge existing bails, and sustain public pressure. In the wake of the singer's drowning, more than sixty police complaints were filed across Assam, prompting a special investigation team from the state CID to take over the inquiry. By December of last year, the investigative unit filed formal charges in a Guwahati court against seven individuals, four of whom face direct murder counts.
Status of Accused and Court Rulings
The individuals named in the case include festival chief organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta, manager Siddharth Sharma, band members Amritprava Mahanta and Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, cousin and suspended police official Sandipon Garg, alongside personal security guards Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya. Court records indicate that Amritprava Mahanta and Sandipon Garg secured bail through the Gauhati High Court and have since been released. State authorities have stated an intention to contest these bail orders in the Supreme Court, a legal path also pursued by Morigaon lawyer Ratul Bora, who filed the initial complaint following the incident. While the two security personnel obtained bail in September regarding a separate asset case, they remain in custody concerning the singer's death.
Divergent Findings and Official Stance
Meanwhile, investigations conducted in Singapore concluded without uncovering evidence of foul play, with local judicial observations indicating the artist was heavily intoxicated and declined a life jacket prior to drowning near Lazarus Island. Assam officials maintain that these foreign findings do not invalidate the ongoing local investigation. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has previously characterized the case to the legislative assembly as a direct and premeditated homicide.
