Dr Palmee Borthakur, sister of singer Zubeen Garg, has questioned whether those accused in her brother’s death case received special privileges in custody after Amritprabha Mahanta was released on bail by the Gauhati High Court on October 9.
In a social media post on October 13, Borthakur raised concerns over the belongings reportedly loaded into a vehicle as Mahanta left jail. She also alleged that the driver appeared to warn people gathered nearby to keep their distance.
“The driver seemed to almost drive the vehicle into the eyewitnesses, as if trying to tell them: be careful, this person is an accused in the murder of Zubeen Garg, not an ordinary person, so stay away,” she wrote.
Questioning the quantity of luggage accompanying Mahanta, Borthakur said the scene prompted her to examine the conditions in which the accused had spent nearly a year in custody.
“Today I learnt that a jail allows an accused in a murder case to keep so many belongings,” she wrote. “I could not understand whether it was a jail or a high-end hotel,” she added, calling for the matter to be examined.
Borthakur also questioned whether the accused were being treated like ordinary prisoners or receiving VIP treatment. She referred to “both jails” in her post but did not identify the two facilities.
Mahanta became the first accused in the case to be released on bail. The allegations about the circumstances of her departure from jail have not been independently verified, and her release does not determine the outcome of the case.
