‘Don’t play with patience’: Assam CM asks NEIF organisers to report to police
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asked the NEIF organisers to report before the police in Guwahati by October 6, and warned that otherwise police would find them and bring them back
Silchar: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said lookout notices have been issued against absconding chief organiser of the Northeast India Festival (NEIF), Shyam Kanu Mahanta, and singer Zubeen Garg’s secretary, Siddharth Sharma, and asked the duo to report before the Assam Police and take part in the investigation related to Garg’s death in Singapore last week.
“We are in contact with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to monitor the movements of these people so that they cannot leave India and hide in a foreign country,” he said.
Additionally, all the bank accounts of Mahanta have been freezed, Sarma said.
In Facebook Live on Saturday afternoon, Sharma said, “Don’t play with the public’s patience and report before the police in Guwahati by October 6, otherwise police will find you and bring you back.”
Zubeen Garg died while swimming in Singapore on September 19 before attending the NEIF, and after that an anger sparked among the people of Assam against the chief organiser Shyam Kanu Mahanta, Zubeen’s secretary Siddharth Sharma, and others involved with the event.
Over 50 police complaints were filed across Assam, and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is investigating the matter. The Assam government constituted a high-level Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case, but the accused did not appear before the police.
The SIT raided the houses of Mahanta, Sharma, and others, and during this period, the accused appeared on social media to claim that they were innocent.
The chief minister on Saturday said, “If you are innocent, come forward and be a part of the investigation. Share all the details you have because more than three crore Assam residents want justice, and we will find each and every last moment detail.”
The chief minister earlier this week said that if the investigation report of the SIT turns out to be unsatisfactory, then the government will seek another investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
On Saturday, he said that he had talked to Union home minister Amit Shah about it and also written a letter to the Gauhati high court appealing for the formation of a judicial commission to monitor the Assam Police’s investigation.
“We want the highest level of transparency because the people of Assam want it and, as their representative, I also want the same,” he said.
He mentioned that some people are saying that the anger created after Zubeen’s death will lead Assam to a Nepal-like situation and that some individuals, who Zubeen did not like when he was alive, are trying to provoke people.
“People with criminal records are trying to provoke people by spreading misinformation. I appeal to the public not to spread misinformation or take the law into their own hands. As the chief minister, I assure a transparent and clean investigation,” he said.
Sarma said that angry Assam residents are saying that they will not vote for the BJP if the government cannot investigate and bring out the truth behind Zubeen’s death. “I am also one of the Assam residents who want the truth to come out and if I fail as chief minister, if we fail and people decide not to vote for me, I will accept the verdict. But this is a time to have patience and let the investigation go on. If anyone has any information, I request them to share it with the police,” he added.
He said the state government has asked the Singapore government to share the postmortem report as soon as possible and that the report of the second post mortem conducted at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) is also getting finalised.
