Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of popular singer Zubeen Garg to submit the chargesheet by December 8, advancing the original deadline from December 17. The Chief Minister made this announcement at a press conference, stating that the SIT is ready from all sides to file the chargesheet.
The procedural delay in filing the chargesheet is due to the requirement of prior permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) since the incident occurred on foreign soil. CM Sarma mentioned that he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi to expedite the approval process. “In the next three to four days, the SIT will write to the MHA, and we expect to file the chargesheet between December 7 and 10,” he added.
The Chief Minister expressed confidence in the SIT’s ability to deliver justice, saying, “The SIT is absolutely confident and they said that they will be able to give justice to Zubeen Garg.” He also mentioned that the Singapore government has formally sent the final post-mortem report, complete sea-related information, and toxicology report through the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).
Meanwhile, CM Sarma clarified that he has no knowledge of whether Cabinet Minister Ashok Singhal owns land near the proposed Zubeen Garg memorial. He emphasized that it is not his responsibility to inquire into private land ownership, adding that if there is any shortage of land, the government will resolve it and ensure parity between the memorials of Bhupen Hazarika and Zubeen Garg ¹.
