The Singapore court's ruling that singer Zubeen Garg died of accidental drowning has sparked a sharp political debate in Assam, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi offering starkly different readings of what the verdict means.
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Reacting to the Singapore court's ruling, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the judgement validates the Assam government's own investigation into Zubeen's death.
"There is no difference between the judgement by a Singapore court and our charge sheet," Sarma said, pointing out that both the Singapore court and the Assam SIT had established that Zubeen had consumed significant quantities of alcohol.
However, the CM maintained a crucial distinction — while the Singapore court ruled the drowning accidental, the Assam government's position is that Zubeen was deliberately made to consume alcohol.
"Singapore says he was consuming liquor from the previous night, and we've also stated that he consumed liquor — but we say he was made to drink intentionally. We've also said that Amritprava had conspired to make him drink," Sarma said.
The CM defended the decision not to send the Assam government to Singapore during the proceedings. "Many said that the Assam government should've gone to Singapore. If we had gone, imagine what would've happened. Today's judgement proves that we've been doing the right thing," he said.
APCC President Gaurav Gogoi took a sharply different view, saying the Singapore ruling had raised more questions than it answered — and had effectively provided legal relief to the accused in the Assam case.
Speaking at a press conference in Khanapara, Gogoi recalled that after Zubeen's death on September 19, the governments of India and Singapore had signed a special legal agreement to coordinate investigations and share information. The Assam SIT had also travelled to Singapore as part of that process.
"The Chief Minister had stated in the Assembly that Zubeen Garg was murdered. At the same time, proceedings were ongoing in Singapore, and hearings had begun. However, the Singapore investigation concluded that it was a natural death, and today the court has delivered its verdict based on that finding," Gogoi said.
He argued that this contradiction — between what the Assam government told the Assembly and what the Singapore court concluded — had left the public confused and undermined trust in the investigation.
Gogoi further alleged that the Singapore verdict had benefited the main accused, Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma, by providing them legal cover.
Gogoi also reminded the public of a statement the Chief Minister had previously made. "Himanta Biswa Sarma himself had said that if justice is not delivered to Zubeen Garg before the Assembly elections, people of Assam should not vote for the BJP. Does he remember that statement today?" he asked.
He accused the BJP of resorting to character assassination of Zubeen rather than delivering justice, and said the verdict was something many in Assam found difficult to accept.
"People are finding it difficult to trust the investigation into Zubeen Garg's death. They are watching and wondering what is really happening," Gogoi said.