Assam: Prohibitory orders imposed after violence during transfer of Zubeen Garg case accused
Officials said mobile internet has been snapped in Assam’s Baksa district and prohibitory orders imposed in the district’s Mushalpur town
GUWAHATI: Several people were injured in Assam on Wednesday when a mob gathered outside the Baksa district jail and threw stones at a convoy bringing the five men arrested in connection with the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg to the newly constructed prison complex 100km from Guwahati, police said on Wednesday.
Police said warning shots were fired in the air to disperse the mob running into several hundreds, and prohibitory orders were imposed in the district’s Mushalpur town and around the jail. Mobile internet has also been snapped across the Baksa district to help control the situation.
“We had to resort to force to control the situation, and now (at 6pm) it has returned to normal in the areas in and around the district jail. Additional forces have been deployed to maintain law and order. I would appeal to all to not resort to violence and take law into their own hands,” Akhilesh Singh, inspector general of police (law and order) told reporters.
Police officers said vehicles were torched and many people were injured, but refused to give details. Journalists who were at the spot said angry protesters torched three police vehicles and one from a private TV channel.
Singh said the process to assess the damage during the violence was underway, and efforts are also on to identify the persons who incited the violence. The senior police officer said police personnel were deployed outside the jail premises, but acknowledged they had not anticipated the situation would turn violent.
The five accused -- NEIF chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Zubeen’s manager Siddharth Sharma, his cousin and police officer Sandipan Garg and his personal security officers (PSOs) Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya -- were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by the Kamrup chief judicial magistrate Baloram Kshetri following the expiry of their police remand.
As news of the transfer of the five accused to Baksa spread, hundreds of people gathered outside the district jail, which was inaugurated just two months ago. As the convoy of vehicles carrying the accused neared the jail, the mob started pelting stones.
Police fired in the air, baton-charged the protesters and used tear-gas shells to disperse the protesters. Incensed at the police action, some protesters also targeted police vehicles that were not part of the convoy and vehicles of media personnel.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is in Delhi, asked people to trust the police and the judicial system. “The incident outside Baksa jail is very unfortunate and has hurt us. I urge everyone to have faith in the police and the judicial system to ensure justice (in the Zubeen Garg case), Such incidents, which could be the result of some political elements inciting people, would hurt,” he said.
Zubeen Garg died on September 19 while swimming in the sea in Singapore, where he had gone to attend the North East India Festival (NEIF).
Following Garg’s death while taking part in a yacht party organised by some Assamese NRIs in Singapore, the CID on September 20 registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy and death due to negligence.
On October 3, the CID added the murder charge following the interrogation of four people arrested earlier. The CID also registered a separate case against Mahanta for alleged financial irregularities.
Special DGP (CID) and head of the 10-member special investigation team MP Gupta said the police remand of two more accused Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta, bandmate of Garg and a singer respectively (both were present at the scene of Garg’s death), will expire on September 17 and they will produced in court on that date.
He added that two more Assamese NRIs from Singapore have arrived and their statements were being recorded on Wednesday. Another one from Singapore, Debojyoti Hazarika, will also reach later in the day and his statements will also be taken.
Till Tuesday, seven of the 11 NRIs based in Singapore who were issued notices by the CID have arrived in Guwahati and joined the probe. With three more recording statements on Wednesday, that figure has gone up to 11.
“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.
Gupta also informed that a post-mortem report circulating on social media was not genuine.
“That report, which is circulating, doesn’t have any signature of doctors. The correct post-mortem report is with us. I request all not to spread fake information that can lead to misunderstanding among the public. We will take action against such persons,” he said.
Gupta also said the CID had received an email from Singapore authorities on Tuesday in response to the request to allow a police team to visit the country in connection with the probe.
“We have already replied to that. It is a positive development. I am hopeful that we will get the green signal from Singapore soon so that our team can go there. Meanwhile, our investigation here is going on well and as expected,” said Gupta.
