Guwahati: More than 100 people from various sections of society gathered outside the Assam Secretariat to form a human chain demanding punishment for those responsible for singer-songwriter Zubeen Garg's death in Singapore last year, according to reports from the Press Trust of India.
Police prevented the group from demonstrating outside the government complex and removed the protesters in buses. Garg died under mysterious circumstances while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19 last year during a visit for the fourth North East India Festival.
The demonstration followed an appeal by Sivasagar MLA and Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, who had urged citizens to assemble near the secretariat to press for justice. Gogoi stated that the protest was a public initiative rather than a partisan political event and had previously asked the chief minister to permit the peaceful demonstration.
During the gathering, protesters chanted slogans and held placards demanding accountability before being transported away by law enforcement. Last week, Gogoi convened a meeting at Zubeen Kshetra, the singer's cremation ground near Guwahati, where a 21-member committee was formed to push for a supplementary charge sheet and exemplary penalties for the guilty.
The committee also resolved to pursue legal avenues to challenge the bail granted to certain defendants and maintain the public campaign. An initial special investigation team from the Assam Police Criminal Investigation Department looked into the case following more than 60 first information reports filed across the state, eventually filing a charge sheet in a Guwahati local court naming seven individuals, four of whom face murder charges.
Those named in the charge sheet include North East India Festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, manager Siddharth Sharma, band members Amritprava Mahanta and Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, cousin and suspended deputy superintendent of police Sandipon Garg, and personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya.
While Amritprava Mahanta and Sandipon Garg secured bail from the Gauhati High Court and have left judicial custody, the Assam government announced plans to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court. Morigaon-based lawyer Ratul Bora, who filed the initial complaint following the death, also indicated plans to approach the apex court regarding the bail orders.
The two personal security officers received bail in a separate disproportionate assets case in September but remain detained in connection with the singer's death. Meanwhile, Singapore Police concluded a separate inquiry finding no evidence of foul play, and a Singapore court reported that Garg was heavily intoxicated and drowned off Lazarus Island after declining a life jacket.
Assam authorities have maintained that the Singapore investigation will not influence the ongoing domestic proceedings, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma having previously described the incident in the state Assembly as a case of plain murder. The latest demonstration emphasizes public pressure for strict legal consequences as state authorities prepare their Supreme Court challenges.