4 Singapore-Based NRIs To Join Probe Into Zubeen Garg's Death

Four of the 11 NRIs (Non-Resident Indians), summoned by Assam Police in connection with musician Zubeen Garg's death probe, will appear before the cops in Guwahati on Monday.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that one NRI responded to the Assam Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) summons earlier and four will join the investigation into the death of the singer during a yacht party in Singapore on September 19.

"We urge the other six Singapore-based NRIs to join the investigation. As an Assamese, it's their ethical and moral responsibility as well. If they don't cooperate, we will leave no stone unturned to get them here and question them since their deposition to the SIT is very important," he said during a Facebook Live. the 11 NRIs in question were allegedly present at the spot when the singer drowned in the sea.

This comes as the government and cops face criticism over the alleged non-cooperation by the NRIs, with Garg's family also raising questions about their reluctance to join the probe.

In other developments in the case, police received the viscera report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in New Delhi. Sarma said this has given the SIT a definite angle to pursue in the probe. "Within very few days, the entire chronology of the Zubeen Garg (death case) will be presented before the court," he said.

Seven people have been arrested so far in connection with Garg's death and are currently in police custody. Among the arrests was that of the singer's cousin Sandipan Garg, who is also an Assam Police officer. He had accompanied the singer to Singapore for the northeast India music festival.

On October 1, the team arrested Zubeen's manager Siddharth Sharma and event organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta who had coordinated the music festival in Singapore where the singer was supposed to perform. Both were booked under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Subsequently, two bandmates of Zubeen - musician Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and singer Amritprabha Mahanta - were taken into custody and remanded to 14-day police custody for further questioning.