Zubeen Garg Death Probe: All Eyes On 11 NRIs Who Were At Yacht Party

With the Assam CID's Special Investigation Team (SIT) speeding up its probe, all eyes are now on the 11 NRIs with roots in Assam who were at the yacht party with singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore. They are considered key witnesses in the case of Garg's mysterious death while swimming in the sea on September 19, a day before he was to perform at the Northeast India Festival.

According to CID sources, the eight NRIs were served summons through the Indian High Commission in Singapore with the help of Singapore police authorities. Later, three more were also served summons, asking all 11 to join the investigation by October 6.

While none of them met the deadline, one of them, Rup Kamal Kalita, who had returned from Singapore, was questioned by the SIT for about six hours on Tuesday. His statement was recorded, and he will also need to give his statement before a magistrate as per Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions.

SIT sources said all 11 had received the summons and have been in touch with the SIT through the Indian High Commission in Singapore. They are expected to join the investigation one after another.

Among the 11 NRIs who have been summoned are Tanmoy Phukan, an old acquaintance of Zubeen Garg who reportedly organised the yacht party, and key members of the Assam Association of Singapore, including its President Abhimanyu Talukdar and General Secretary Debjyoti Hazarika. Others include Siddartha Bora, Parikshit Sarma, Bajid Ahmed, Bhaskar Dutta, Pritam Bhuyan, G Narzary, and Sushmita Goswami, according to SIT sources.

Many of them work with well-known companies in Singapore, while some run their own businesses. Most are settled there with their families, CID sources added.

They have reportedly told the Indian High Commission in Singapore that since the Singapore police are also investigating the case as an unnatural death, they are required to stay there to give statements. This, they said, has caused the delay in coming to Assam to join the SIT investigation, the CID sources said.

The Assam Association of Singapore, which is the apex body of the Assamese diaspora in Singapore, has earlier clarified that the yacht party was not an official event of the association. It said that only a few members of the Assamese community living in Singapore had organised it privately.

Notably, the 52-year-old singer had gone for a swim in the sea in Singapore during the yacht party last month when he was found dead - floating face down in the water. He was in Singapore to attend the three-day North East India Festival that was scheduled to begin on September 20. It was, however, cancelled after the singer's death.