Zubeen Garg's cousin, Assam Police officer, suspended after arrest in singer's death case
Sandipan Garg had visited Singapore along with Garg and was present at the scene when the singer died while swimming in sea on September 19.
GUWAHATI: The special investigation team (SIT) of Assam police criminal investigation department (CID) on Wednesday arrested a police officer and a close relative of Zubeen Garg in connection with the cultural icon's death in Singapore last month in a swimming incident.
Sandipan Garg, a cousin of Garg, is an Assam Police Service (APS) officer currently posted as deputy superintendent (law and order) for Kamrup district. The Assam government suspended him from service with immediate effect following his arrest.
He had visited Singapore along with Garg and was present at the scene when the 52-year-old singer-composer-poet-actor-filmmaker died while swimming in sea on September 19.
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This is the fifth arrest in the case. CID had earlier questioned Sandipan for four days before deciding to arrest him. Sandipan is the son of Garg's paternal uncle. Following the arrest he was being produced in the court of chief judicial magistrate of Kamrup (Metropolitan) district and was remanded to police custody for seven days.
"Today we arrested Sandipan following his interrogation. Since an investigation is underway, I can't reveal more than that," special DGP (CID) Assam Police, MP Gupta, who is heading the 10-member SIT, said.
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Earlier the CID had arrested Shyamkanu Mahanta, organiser of the North East India Festival (NEIF) in Singapore, which Garg had gone to attend, the singer's manager Siddharth Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and singer Amritprava Mahanta in connection with the case. All four are in CID custody at present.
"Sandipan was called by them (CID) for questioning following which he was arrested. Maybe they have got some clue in his statements. The investigation process is on and it is taking its own course, I can't comment anything on it," Zubeen Garg's wife, Garrima Saikia Garg, commented in response to Sandipan's arrest.
Following Garg's death while taking part in a yacht party organised by few Assamese NRIs in Singapore under suspicious circumstances, the CID had registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy and death due to negligence was registered.
Later the CID added murder charge as well following interrogations of the four persons arrested earlier. The CID also registered a separate case against Mahanta for alleged financial irregularities after recovery of many seals and some incriminating documents from his Guwahati residence.
Special DGP (CID) Assam Police, MP Gupta, disclosed on Wednesday that fresh summons will be issued to 10 NRIs from Assam based in Singapore. The CID had earlier issued notices to 11 NRIs, who are part of the Assam Association in Singapore to appear before it by October 6 to record their statements related to the case. Eight NRIs from Assam were present in the yacht party, which Garg had attended before dying while swimming. Only one of them has come to Assam and recorded his statements before the CID till date.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday that central agencies like enforcement directorate (ED) and income tax (IT) department would investigate allegations of financial irregularities against festival organiser, Shyamkanu Mahanta.
