Assam CID Hands Over Zubeen Garg's Autopsy Report To Wife

Authorities in Assam on Saturday handed over the second autopsy report of singer Zubeen Garg to his wife, Garima Saikia Garg, as the state's Crime Investigation Department (CID) intensified its probe into the circumstances surrounding his death in Singapore last month.

According to officials, an officer from the CID's Special Investigation Team (SIT) personally delivered the report at Garima's residence in Kahilipara in Guwahati. The handover came two days after she received the first post-mortem report conducted in Singapore, where the 52-year-old Assamese icon had died under what authorities have described as "mysterious circumstances."

"I just have to cooperate and keep faith in the system. If anyone is proven guilty of wrongdoing, they must face the ultimate punishment. I have received the post-mortem report, but I have chosen to return it to the investigating officer, since it is not my personal property but part of the ongoing probe. It is up to the authorities or the court to decide whether the report should be made public. I trust in the legal system and in law. In the case of Zubeen Garg, nothing will be neglected. He must get justice," Garima said. 

Speaking to reporters outside Garg's residence, Additional Superintendent of Police (CID) and SIT member Moramee Das confirmed that statements from both Garima Saikia Garg and Garg's younger sister, Dr Palmi Borthakur, had been formally recorded earlier in the day.

"I have taken the statements of both Palmi Borthakur and Garima Saikia Garg. However, I cannot disclose the contents at this stage. You have to understand the investigation protocol," Das said.

Ongoing Questioning

The SIT continued marathon rounds of questioning on Saturday, focusing on individuals linked to the 4th NorthEast India Festival in Singapore, the event Garg had travelled to attend before his death. Among those questioned were journalists and several members of the festival's organising team, led by Shyamkanu Mahanta.

Mahanta, who was arrested earlier this week along with Garg's manager Siddharth Sharma and two band members, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta, remains in CID custody. His wife and mother were permitted a brief meeting with him on Saturday, officials confirmed.

Investigators are probing inconsistencies in the statements provided by Sharma, Goswami, and Amritprabha Mahanta. 

Zubeen Garg, one of Assam's most celebrated singers and composers, died while swimming in the sea off Singapore's Sentosa Island in mid-September. He had travelled there to perform at the NorthEast India Festival.

Singapore authorities conducted the first post-mortem soon after his death, the report of which was handed to Garima on Thursday. Following his body's repatriation to Assam, a second autopsy was performed at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on September 23, hours before his cremation.

In addition to the criminal probe, the Assam government has constituted a one-man judicial commission to independently examine the events leading up to Garg's death in Singapore.