Manoj Kumar Borthakur: We want a Chronological Description

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Zubeen Garg’s uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur today provided details about the coroner’s hearing in Singapore, where he was personally present along with Rahul Gautam Sharma. He mentioned that he, on behalf of the family, has requested a chronological description of the incident in which Zubeen lost his life, as the videos of the last moments of Zubeen’s life were missing. He also gave his personal opinion that giving CPR to a person suffering from a seizure is a mistake.

Speaking to the media today, Zubeen Garg’s uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur said family members were present during the first day of the coroner’s hearing after receiving an official invitation from the Singapore government, which had requested a family representative to attend the proceedings.

Borthakur said, “After the coroner’s inquiry, a hearing was held, and the chief investigating officer, David Lin, provided certain details as to the outcome of the probe. Six witnesses gave their statements, among whom was the doctor, the pathologist, who conducted the first post mortem. He gave an account of his findings. Then came the pilot of the yacht, who appeared in a video. He spoke about the booking and other details. He said life jackets were made mandatory for the passengers. Having seen Zubeen without a lifejacket, he also pointed out that fact. He also said he jumped into the water to save Zubeen.

“Rupkamal Kalita, an Assamese NRI, then provided his account. He said he came late due to family issues and arrived at the last moment. He said nobody thought such an incident would happen,” Borthakur said.

Pointing out the absence of a video comprising the last moments of Zubeen’s life, Borthakur stated, “We haven’t seen a  video of the last moments of the incident. Why was such a video not submitted? I had asked about it. The coroner indicated to me that it was unintentional, or perhaps the videographer did not record that portion. I have asked for such a video, if it exists. I had given a petition, which I read aloud. Rahul Gautam Sharma was with me. Regarding my petition, they said it will be considered. I said I wanted a chronological description of what happened from day one to three. It will be good if all the videos are given to us. We also want all the individuals connected with the incident to be brought within the ambit of the investigation. I have come to know around 20 individuals were present at the time of the incident, and a total of around 37 persons were interrogated.”

Regarding the next date of the coroner’s hearing, he said, “The next hearings are on February 2 and 3. They said it will be good if someone from the family remains present on that day. The coroner expressed his condolences and said that he shared our grief. It was a serious occasion. There were no aberrations.”

Giving his view on the coroner’s report, he said, “As the hearing process has started, it will not be long now. The coroner will deliver the final verdict after all the hearings. Since the start they have been in touch with Garima. She couldn’t be present due to health issues. It is not an easy matter. When the incident happened, Garima’s mental condition was such that she couldn’t imagine going there. It took several days for her to reconcile with the facts.”

On the subject of allowing Zubeen to enter the water and giving him CPR during a seizure, he said, “Taking him to the water when he had a history of seizures is an offence and it should be regarded as such. We believe that there was a delay in providing medical help to him. A person with seizures should not be given CPR, a medical expert can give his views on that. My personal opinion is that a person with seizures gets better from within. Giving him CPR was a mistake, I believe.”

Borthakur, however, was positive of an outcome of the enquiry, “The SIT is still conducting the investigation and we’re hopeful of a result.”

Also Read: Zubeen Garg Death Case: We Submitted our Statement, says Garima