In Facebook post, Zubeen’s family sends message to govt on Singapore proceedings
The request came a day after Singapore police told the coroner’s court that there was no foul play in the death and that Zubeen was inebriated
GUWAHATI: Family members of cultural icon Zubeen Garg, who died in a drowning incident in Singapore last September, requested the Centre and Assam government on Thursday to take all diplomatic and legal steps to ensure that all relevant facts are placed before the coroner’s court in Singapore.
The request came a day after Singapore police told the court that there was no foul play in the death and that Zubeen was inebriated and refused to wear a life jacket before entering the sea for a swim.
“We respectfully urge the Government of India and the Government of Assam to monitor the proceedings in the Singapore Coroner’s Court at the highest level, take all necessary diplomatic and legal steps to ensure that every relevant fact is placed before the court, pursue expeditious and effective prosecution in India on the basis of the charge sheet already filed, ensure that neither jurisdiction becomes an excuse for delay or dilution,” Zubeen’s wife, Garrima Saikia Garg, his sister Palmee Borthakur and paternal uncle Manoj Borthakur said in a post on Facebook.
GUWAHATI: Family members of cultural icon Zubeen Garg, who died in a drowning incident in Singapore last September, requested the Centre and Assam government on Thursday to take all diplomatic and legal steps to ensure that all relevant facts are placed before the coroner’s court in Singapore.
The request came a day after Singapore police told the court that there was no foul play in the death and that Zubeen was inebriated and refused to wear a life jacket before entering the sea for a swim.
“We respectfully urge the Government of India and the Government of Assam to monitor the proceedings in the Singapore Coroner’s Court at the highest level, take all necessary diplomatic and legal steps to ensure that every relevant fact is placed before the court, pursue expeditious and effective prosecution in India on the basis of the charge sheet already filed, ensure that neither jurisdiction becomes an excuse for delay or dilution,” Zubeen’s wife, Garrima Saikia Garg, his sister Palmee Borthakur and paternal uncle Manoj Borthakur said in a post on Facebook.
The 52-year-old singer, songwriter, composer and actor died on September 19 while swimming in sea at Singapore, where he had gone to take part in the North East India Festival (NEIF).
Following the death and mass outpouring of grief in Assam, the state government constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case. Seven persons including the festival organiser, Zubeen’s manager, two bandmates, his cousin (who is also a police officer) and two security officials assigned to him, were arrested.
In its charge sheet filed in December, the SIT said five persons, the festival organiser, Zubeen’s manager, cousin and two bandmates were accused of conspiring and murdering Zubeen. The two security officials were accused of financial irregularities.
Thursday’s Facebook post said Manoj Borthakur had submitted a detailed statement in the Singapore court on Wednesday that placed on record “specific factual questions” on planning of the September 19 outting, Zubeen’s physical and medical condition at the time, safety measures on the yacht, the circumstances in which he entered the sea, the words spoken at that moment, the response of the people around him in the yacht when he showed visible distress, the negligence (of those present in the yacht) visible in the videos circulating in social media, the timing and adequacy of medical assistance and also the scope of the finding of “no foul play” by the Singapore police.
“These questions arise automatically and they are a family’s right and duty when a life ends suddenly under unclear circumstances,” the post said, underlining that they only sought a transparent and detailed examination of the circumstances related to the death so that “the guilty is punished to the highest level”.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday responded to media reports about the Singapore court proceedings, noting that the case in the foreign country was different from the trial underway in Guwahati.
“The Singapore police gave a report and court proceedings are taking place there. Their process is different from what is happening here… I won’t like to comment more on this as it is a court matter,” Sarma said.
Lok Sabha MP and Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi raised questions about how the same event was being viewed differently in Assam and Singapore, pointing that authorities in Singapore say Zubeen died due to drowning and there was no foul play, the matter was being treated as a case of murder in Assam.
“Whom should we believe? Both governments in Singapore and in India have held talks on this issue and there was collaboration between that country’s police and their counterparts in Assam. How is it that one is saying something and the other is saying something else?” he told reporters in Delhi. Gogoi added that it was unfortunate that despite so many months passing, the truth related to the death is still not clear.
