The five accused in the death of iconic singer Zubeen Garg case have been sent to 14-day judicial custody by a local court in Guwahati after the end of their CID remand. The five suspects include Northeast Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, his manager Siddhartha Sharma, police officer and cousin Sandipan Garg, and his two bodyguards, Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya.
They will be housed in the newly built district jail in Baksa district of Assam, about 100 km away from Guwahati, sources said, flagging safety concerns since fans of the singer could even be among the prisoners and undertrials.
They can be further produced in court via video conferencing.
"The court has sent them to judicial custody. No bail plea was moved on behalf of any of the five accused. As per the rule, legal aid will be given. The court has also instructed to ensure their safety and security in jail custody," said public prosecutor Pradip Konwar.
The five men had been in police custody as part of the ongoing probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta.
Two other suspects, including Garg's bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and co-singer Amritprava Mahanta, remain in CID custody, completing their 14-day remand. "They will be produced before the court on October 17. Besides, there is a financial case against Mahanta," said Gupta.
Garg had drowned while swimming during a yacht party in Singapore on September 19. The investigators have already recorded the statements of nine of the 11 people who had accompanied the singer abroad, while another is expected to arrive soon.
Speaking before the court hearing, SIT chief Gupta called the post-mortem report into Garg's death "not genuine" since it did not have the doctor's signature. "Without the doctor's authentication, such a report cannot be considered valid," he said.
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