Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday announced that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has formally granted sanction under Section 208 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which allows the state government to initiate legal proceedings against people associated with the singer’s death. Zubeen Garg in Singapore. This consent allows the police to file charges in the matter.
The development came as Assam celebrated the singer’s 53rd birth anniversary on Tuesday.
Sarma clarified that Section 208 of the BNSS mandates that if an offense is committed outside India, the court can take up the case only after receiving prior sanction from the Central Government.
The chief minister described the sanction as a major legal step that allows the administration to file charges and proceed firmly and lawfully in the process. He confirmed the government’s commitment to file charges against the accused parties by December 10 this year.
The CM said that today ”on the occasion of the 53rd birthday of our beloved Zubeen Garg – a day that reminds us of his music, his voice and his irreplaceable place in the heart of Assam”.
“On this day the Hon’ble Union Home Minister Sri @AmitShah Ji granted the required sanction under Section 208 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to proceed against the accused linked to Zubeen’s death in Singapore,” Sarma said in a social media post on X.
Garg died in Singapore on September 19 while on a trip to attend the North East India Festival (NEIF). After his cremation in Guwahati, several First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed. In response, the state government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the circumstances surrounding the death.
Subsequently, seven people were detained in connection with the case. Among those arrested were festival organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta, his manager Siddhartha Sharma, his cousin Sandipan Garg, musician Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, singer Amritprabha Mahanta and two personal security personnel (PSOs).
Earlier in October, CM Sarma had said that the SIT’s charge sheet would be submitted within the statutory three-month period and that investigations were going on as expected. He reiterated the Assam government’s serious stand on the death of Zubeen Garg and promised to “definitely ensure justice to him and no one will be spared in this context”. The standard time limit for filing charges is three months and the police have been instructed to meet this time limit.
The chief minister also noted that the SIT had assured him that the investigation would be completed by the end of November, with the chargesheet most likely to be filed in the first week of December. Additionally, the Assam Cabinet recently decided to request the Gauhati High Court to set up a fast-track court to speed up the decision and delivery of justice in the Zubeen Garg death case.
(Tagtranslate)Zuben Garg Birthday
