Guwahati/ Bajali: Situation turned volatile outside Baksa District Jail at Nikashi in lower Assam on Wednesday as protesters set ablaze at seven vehicles including police, tv channel's vehicles while five accused in singer Zubeen Garg’s death case were being transferred to the facility.
Police resorted to batons charge and fired tear gas to control the agitated crowd and ensure the accused were safely lodged. Police also fired in the air to disperse the angry mob.
Several people including police and journalists were injured in the incident, when angry protesters pelted stone targeting the police convoy carrying the accused of the Zubeen Garg's death case.
Thousands of people took to the streets in Nikashi when the the accused were being taken to Baksa District Jail after a local court in Guwahati remanded them to 14-day judicial custody.
Among those lodged are prime accused Shyamkanu Mahanta, organizer of the Northeast India Festival, and Siddhartha Sharma, Zubeen Garg’s manager, both arrested on October 1.
The other three include Sandipan Garg, the singer’s cousin who had accompanied him to Singapore, and his two Personal Security Officers Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya, arrested on October 8 and 10.
All five had completed 14 days of police custody for questioning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Advocate Pradip Konwar, representing the Assam government, confirmed, “After completion of police custody, they were produced before the court, which ordered that they be sent to judicial custody.” None of the accused were represented by lawyers during the hearing.
The Assam government lodged the accused in the newly inaugurated Baksa District Jail, which currently has no other prisoners, citing security concerns.
However, this decision triggered unrest, with locals chasing and pelting stones at the convoy as it entered the prison premises. A heavy police presence was deployed to maintain order and ensure the safety of both personnel and the accused.
Meanwhile, two other accused in the case — co-musicians Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta — will remain in police custody until October 17. Authorities have stated that while tensions remain, the situation around the jail is under control.
This incident marks another critical chapter in the investigation into the mysterious death of Assam’s cultural icon, Zubeen Garg, who passed away in Singapore while swimming on September 19.
