Fast track court begins trial in Zubeen death case

Guwahati: The trial in the singer Zubeen Garg death case began on Monday in the fast track court here, 13 days after the court framed charges against all the seven accused. Out of the seven, four were charged with murder charge.

Special public prosecutor Z Kamar said, “Four witnesses were called for recording their statements in connection with the FIR lodged in Morigaon police station in the Zubeen Garg death case. Among them, Ratul Bora, who filed the FIR in the Morigaon police station, was heard by the court. He answered all the questions in the court.”

Over 60 FIRs were lodged in different police stations across the state against the organiser of North East India festival, Shyamkanu Mahanta and the singer’s manager Siddharth Sharma along with others after the death of Zubeen in Singapore on Sept 19 last year. The FIRs were later clubbed and transferred to CID.

A nine-member SIT was formed on September 24 to investigate the case, and it submitted the charge sheet on Dec 12 last year.

Zubeen had gone to Singapore on September 17 and was supposed to perform in the festival. He died while swimming in the sea on September 19.

The special PP further said five more witnesses—Biswajit Das, Maheswar Haloi, Prabita Borkotoky, Baby Bora and Shahinshah Hoque—have been called to appear before the court for recording of their statements. “They belong to various organisations and had filed FIRs in different police stations in the singer’s death case,” he added.

The court of judge Sharmila Bhuyan, based on investigation by the SIT of Assam Police, framed murder charge against the organiser of the North East India Festival in Singapore, Shyamkanu Mahanta, his manager Siddharth Sharma, his bandmate Shekharjyoti Goswami and co-singer Amritprabha Mahanta.

The court also framed charges of criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust against these four as well as against the singer’s two personal security officers, Nandeswar Borah and Paresh Baishya, while framing charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Zubeen’s cousin Sandipon Garg.

A day after the fast track court framed the charges against the accused, Amritprabha, Sandipon and the personal security officers on May 27 filed bail petitions before the court.

“The trial court on Monday rejected their bail petitions. Now, it is upto to them if they want to approach the Gauhati High Court or not,” the special PP said.