Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told the state Assembly on Tuesday that the death of singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore was not an accident but an act of murder.
"After preliminary probe, the Assam Police was sure that it was not a case of culpable homicide, but it was a plain and simple murder," Sarma said.
Sarma was speaking in the assembly during a discussion under an adjournment motion moved by the opposition on the singer's death.
The motion was allowed by the Speaker at the request of the chief minister.
He said the Special Investigation Team under the CID, which has been probing the case, added Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within three days of Garg’s death after a preliminary assessment suggested the presence of foul play.
Garg, aged 52, died on September 19 while swimming in the sea in Singapore.
The chief minister said that the SIT has so far arrested seven people, examined 252 witnesses and seized 29 items related to the case.
"One of the accused killed Garg and others helped him. Four to five people are being booked in the murder case," Sarma claimed.
"After the chargesheet in the murder case is submitted in December, the probe will be expanded to include negligence, criminal breach of trust and other aspects," he added.
Sarma, who is also the state's home minister, claimed that the SIT will file a "watertight chargesheet, and the motive behind the crime will shock the people of the state".
Alongside the police probe, a one member inquiry commission headed by Gauhati High Court judge Justice Soumitra Saikia is conducting an independent examination of the incident.
The panel has extended the deadline for collecting evidence and recording statements to December 12.
It began gathering documents and testimonies on November 3 after being assigned to look into every circumstance surrounding the singer’s death. The earlier deadline for submissions was November 21.
The commission’s mandate includes reconstructing the series of events before and after Garg’s death and determining whether any failures, negligence or misconduct occurred.
It is also tasked with investigating any outside involvement, including possible foul play, conspiracy or unlawful acts linked to the case.