Guwahati, Oct 20: More than a hundred people from all walks of life gathered in front of the Assam secretariat here on Tuesday to form a human chain to press the demand for punishment of those responsible for singer Zubeen Garg’s death in Singapore last year.
The police, however, prevented them from holding a demonstration outside the secretariat and took them away in buses.
The people gathered here after Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi had appealed to citizens to converge in front of the secretariat to form a human chain to press for “justice” for Garg.
Garg, a celebrated singer-songwriter, died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 last year while swimming in the sea. He was in the island country to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival (NEIF).
The MLA, who is also the president of Raijor Dal, said the appeal to register the protest was not under the banner of any party, but was a move by the people to press for their demand.
He had urged the chief minister to allow the democratic protest.
As more than 100 people from different parties and organisations gathered in front of the secretariat, the police prevented them from staging any demonstration.
The protesters were taken away in buses, even as they raised slogans and displayed placards with ‘Justice for Zubeen Garg’ written on them.
Last week, Gogoi had called for a meeting at the Zubeen Kshetra, the cremation ground of Garg on the outskirts of Guwahati.
After the meeting, a 21-member committee was formed to press for people’s demand for punishment of those responsible for the singer’s death.
During the meeting, key decisions included putting pressure on the government to file a supplementary charge sheet and ensure exemplary punishment for those found guilty in the case.
It was also decided to pursue legal measures to challenge the bail granted to the accused and to continue the public movement.
A special investigation team (SIT) of the Assam Police CID probed Garg’s death after more than 60 FIRs were registered across the state.
The SIT filed its charge sheet before a local court here in December last year, naming the seven accused. Four of them are facing murder charges.
NEIF chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer’s manager Siddharth Sharma, band members Amritprava Mahanta and Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, his cousin and suspended DSP Sandipon Garg, and personal security officers (PSOs) Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya have been named in the charge sheet.
Amritprava and Sandipon have secured bail from the Gauhati High Court, and both have since been released from judicial custody.
The Assam government said it will move the Supreme Court challenging the high court’s decision to grant the bail.
Morigaon-based lawyer Ratul Bora, who had filed the first police complaint following Garg’s death in Singapore, said he would also move the top court challenging the HC’s bail orders.
The two PSOs had been granted bail in a disproportionate assets case in September, but remain in jail in connection with the singer’s death case.
The Singapore Police carried out a separate probe and concluded that there was no evidence of foul play.
A court in Singapore had also said the popular Indian singer-songwriter was severely intoxicated and had drowned off Lazarus Island after declining to wear a life jacket.
The authorities in Assam, however, maintained that the findings of the Singapore Police probe will not impact the case here.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had, in the state assembly, said that Garg’s death was a case of “plain and simple murder”. (PTI)
