By Dr. Kumar Rakesh
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Assam Police on Thursday raided three locations in Guwahati, including the residence of Northeast India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, as part of its probe into the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg during the festival in Singapore last week.
Sources said the SIT also searched the homes of Garg’s manager and his sound recordist. The action follows the state government’s decision to bar Mahanta from organising events, a day after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma vowed a thorough inquiry.
“Have faith in the SIT. They will probe all possibilities. If they fail, we will hand over the case to the CBI,” Sarma told reporters, amid mounting demands for a central agency investigation.
Accusing a section of people of exploiting the singer, Sarma added, “The event that Mahanta organised…I never encouraged it. We will not fund them anymore and have banned them.” He further noted that Mahanta had criticised the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past, and said the Centre had been urged to withhold assistance to him.
The 10-member SIT, headed by CID Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta, includes senior officers from across Assam and has been tasked to work on strict timelines while ensuring transparency.
Zubeen Garg, 52, died of drowning in Singapore on September 19. Assam bid him an emotional farewell on September 23 with full state honours at Kamarkuchi near Guwahati. Thousands of fans joined the procession, singing his song Mayabini as his family brought his dogs for a final goodbye.
Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, Sarbananda Sonowal, and MoS Pabitra Margherita, along with Chief Minister Sarma, were among the dignitaries who paid tribute to the celebrated singer.
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