Poisoning Angle Will Be Clear By Oct 10: Himanta Sarma On Zubeen Garg Death

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the state government will receive the report of singer Zubeen Garg's viscera sample from New Delhi's Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) on October 10. He added that the report would determine whether poison was used to kill him.

"We have intensified the investigation under the observation of the Judicial Committee, and the report of the viscera sample test will give us a clear picture about the death," Sarma said.

Zubeen's co-singer, Sekhar Jyoti Goswami, who was arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) earlier this week, had reportedly claimed on Friday that NorthEast India Festival organiser Shyam Kanu Mahanta and Zubeen's manager Siddharth Sharma planned the singer's murder in Singapore and had poisoned his drinks.

Responding to this, the Chief Minister said that Sekhar Jyoti himself is one of the accused in the case and might be trying to save himself by blaming others.

"He is not a common person but an accused under investigation, so we cannot blindly trust him. We are also examining the poisoning angle, and it will be clear by October 11," Sarma added.

The Chief Minister met Zubeen's family members at their Guwahati residence on Saturday evening, saying that he visited them as a family member, not as the Chief Minister.

"Zubeen was like my younger brother, and his wife Garima was my junior at Cotton College. I met them, touched the feet of his father, and had an hour-long discussion. We are all heartbroken by his death, and the meeting was purely personal," he said.

On the issue of questioning individuals living abroad, Sarma said, "We cannot compel them through our police or legal system because they live in another country, but their family members stay in Assam and they can help us. I appeal to the people of Assam to create pressure on their family members."

The Assam government has constituted a judicial commission under the chairmanship of a sitting Gauhati High Court judge, Justice Soumitra Saikia. The commission will provide a platform for anyone wishing to share information related to the mysterious death of Zubeen. It will also allow the sitting judge to oversee the CID investigation and examine the evidence. If any lapses or wrongdoing are found, the commission will have the authority to issue strictures.

"This will be a completely independent commission in Assam. For the first time in the state's history, a sitting judge has been entrusted with the responsibility of conducting such an inquiry. The government hopes that once the investigation is completed, all details will be brought into the public domain," the Chief Minister added.