Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday granted sanction under Section 208 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), allowing Assam to proceed against those linked to the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the approval enables state police to file the charge sheet, marking what he called a critical procedural milestone.
The decision arrived on Garg’s birth anniversary, adding symbolic weight in a state still processing the loss of one of its most influential artists.
“On this very day, the Hon'ble Union Home Minister Sri @AmitShah Ji has granted the required sanction under Section 208 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to proceed against the accused linked to Zubeen's death in Singapore,” Sarma posted on X.
He followed with an explanation: “Section 208 of BNSS, in simple language, says: If a crime is committed outside India, the case can be taken up by the court only after the central government gives prior sanction.”
Sarma said the approval is “a crucial legal step, allowing us to file charge sheet and move forward firmly and lawfully for trial of the case.”
Garg died in Singapore, where he had gone to participate in the North East India Festival (NEIF), on September 19 and after his cremation, multiple FIRs were filed, with the state government constituting a Special Investigating team (SIT) under the CID to investigate the cases.
Subsequently, seven persons, including festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, his manager Siddhartha Sharma and others, were arrested in this connection.
