The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing into the death of singer Zubeen Garg, submitted its chargesheet in a Guwahati court on Friday, December 12.
The chargesheet was filed against seven arrested accused persons. Four of them were charged with murder, while Garg's cousin was booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The lawyers said that the accused are Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddhartha Sharma, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta in the over 3,500-page chargesheet submitted at the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, the singer's cousin and suspended Assam Police officer Sandipan Garg has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The SIT was constituted by the Assam government and was led by Special DGP M P Gupta to investigate the singer's death.
Chargesheet filed against seven persons
Gupta confirmed that the chargesheet was filed against seven persons. "We have filed a chargesheet today in the Court of CJM Kamrup, Guwahati, against 7 arrested accused persons under various sections. They are Siddharth Sharma, Shyamkanu Mahanta, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, Amrit Prabha Mahanta, Sandipan Garg, Nandeshwar Bohra and Paresh Baishya. (Murder charges are framed) against 4 accused and culpable homicide against 1 accused. The main chargesheet is about 2,500 pages, and there are various documents. So, if we combine, it will be 12,000 pages," Gupta told the media.
Meanwhile, Gupta had earlier stated that seven arrests were made in connection with the case, including the chief organiser of the festival, Shyamkanu Mahanta, and over 300 witnesses were examined. Mahanta was the chief organiser of the North East India Festival, which Garg attended and died under mysterious circumstances while swimming in the sea on September 19.
Himanta Biswa Sarma reacts to SIT chargesheet
Meanwhile, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma reacted to the chargesheet filed by the probe panel. "The SIT team submitted the chargesheet before the CJM court in Guwahati...We respect the verdict of the court," Sarma told the media.
Sarma claimed Zubeen's death was 'plain and simple murder'
Meanwhile, the Assam CM had told the state Assembly that Zubeen's death was 'plain and simple murder'. "One of the accused killed Garg, and others helped that person. Four to five people are being booked in the murder case," Sarma claimed.
"After the chargesheet in the murder case is submitted in December, the investigators will look into angles of negligence, criminal breach of trust and other aspects," he said.
"The story begins before the COVID days, eight years ago. Inquiry will be expanded so that not a single person who had ever betrayed Zubeen is spared," the chief minister said, without elaborating.
