STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Assamese expatriate Abhimanyu Talukdar appeared before the fast-track court on Thursday for the second day of his testimony in the death case of singer Zubeen Garg.
Talukdar had appeared before the court for the first time on Wednesday and recorded his statement. He returned on Thursday to continue his testimony and completed his deposition before the court.
Speaking after the hearing, Talukdar said he had stayed in Assam for only two years and had studied Classes 11 and 12 during that period. He recalled being a fan of singer Jitul Sonowal at the time and said he knew about Zubeen Garg.
“I was here for only two years and had studied Class 11 and 12 here. At that time, I was a fan of Jitul Sonowal. I knew about Zubeen Garg. After that, I had left Assam. I knew Zubeen was a famous singer and later I came to know that he had sung 40,000 songs. Later, I learned that he had also written 5,000 songs. That’s not something an ordinary person can do. This is just what I found out later,” Talukdar said.
Talukdar said he was unaware that Garg had been unwell and denied organising the yacht party. He said Shyamkanu Mahanta had asked him to bring a bottle of liquor, which he handed over to Mahanta.
He further said Garg was not wearing a life jacket when he entered the sea and that a person named Pratim from Singapore went into the water with him.
“Zubeen didn’t wear a life jacket while going into the sea. A person named Pratim from Singapore went into the water with Zubeen. Zubeen received CPR within 10 minutes of drowning,” Talukdar said.
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