Shyamkanu Mahanta, chief organiser of the Northeast India Festival in Singapore and an accused in singer Zubeen Garg’s death, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the transfer of the investigation either to the NIA or the CBI from the SIT constituted by the Assam government.
Mahanta and Zubeen’s manager Siddharth Sharma were arrested on Wednesday in Delhi by the SIT and taken to Assam where they have been remanded to 14 days' judicial custody.
In his petition, Mahanta has pleaded that he is a victim of a “well-calculated witch-hunt involving irresponsible media reportings, both print and electronic, which seek to create a false narrative with regard to the alleged involvement of the petitioner in the sad and unfortunate demise of his very dear personal friend”.
According to reports, the 52-year-old artiste died while swimming near an island during a yacht outing in Singapore on September 19.
According to Mahanta, allegations of his alleged involvement in Zubeen’s death have led to a large-scale “public hatred”. In the petition filed through advocate Raj Kumar, Mahanta claimed he had met Zubeen two days before his death and was busy overseeing the arrangements of the festival on the fateful day.
Mahanta said that despite his innocence, the state government had registered criminal cases against him under Sections 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The CID has constituted an SIT to probe the death.
In all, 54 FIRs had been registered against him in Assam and other northeastern states in connection with Zubeen’s death, he said.