‘Don’t make Assam Nepal’: Himanta amid outcry over Zubeen Garg’s death

He had reportedly experienced breathing troubles while swimming during an outing on a yacht while in Singapore and the certificate of death issued by Singapore authorities recorded the condition leading to death as ‘drowning.’

Following this outcry, an SIT has been set up to investigate a case lodged with the CID in this regard against Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddharth Sharma and others under sections of the BNS pertaining to criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing death by negligence.

This outcry had taken a violent turn on Thursday, when  a crowd tried to storm inside Sharma’s Guwahati residence while an SIT team was conducting searches there and later threw stones at police vehicles leaving the address in the evening, causing police to use lathi charge to disperse them. Police later arrested nine people in connection with this incident.

Speaking on a Facebook Live session Saturday, Sarma said: “This is Zubeen’s Assam. For whatever reason, we can’t let Assam become Nepal. For some days, in some social media the example of Nepal is being given. In Assam, we will give the example of Lachit Barphukan. We will give Maharaj Prithu’s example, Bhupen Hazarika and Zubeen…Not Nepal’s example.”

He went on to say: “If even one property of Assam is damaged, the most hurt will be Zubeen Garg because this is Zubeen’s Assam. Today some people demanding justice for Zubeen are agitating on the streets. Police have arrested them but people are asking why they were arrested…There cannot be anti-government politics in the name of Zubeen. We can’t make Assam Nepal in the name of Zubeen”.

Referring to summons issued by the CID to Mahanta and Sharma, who have both through statements issued through social media stated that they are avoiding returning to Assam fearing for their safety, Sarma told them both to report before the CID by October 6.

“I want to tell Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma, through this [Facebook] live, to not try to test the people’s patience. We have sought that you be present in Assam on October 6. Because of Puja, we haven’t called you before that. After Dashami, on October 6, we want to see you in the CID office. And you can’t evade the law with Facebook lives and letters. If you really are without any fault, come with courage to the CID office and make your statements,” he said.

In the video, Sarma also said that all of Mahanta’s bank accounts have been frozen.