The special investigation team (SIT) of the Assam police on Friday submitted a voluminous chargesheet in the Zubeen Garg death case before the chief judicial magistrate’s court here, invoking a murder charge against four of the seven arrested
accused.

The 52-year-old singer-composer died in Singapore while swimming during a yacht outing on September 19, plunging the state into collective grief and triggering sustained demand for justice over his death.

Murder charge under Section 103 of the BNS has been slapped on Northeast India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma and band members Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amrit Prabha Mahanta.

The singer’s cousin, Sandipan Garg, a police official, has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 105 of the BNS, while his two personal security officers — Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya — have been charged under BNS sections dealing with financial irregularities.

Addressing the media here, SIT chief Munna Prasad Gupta said the “main” chargesheet runs into 2,500 pages, but it will be “around 12,000 pages” when combined with other documents, including documentary, digital and material evidence.

When asked about the charges, Gupta said: “If you see the sections, murder (charge) has been invoked against Siddarth Sarma, Syamkanu Mahanta, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta, along with other charges…. Sandipan Garg has been charged under Section 105 (culpable homicide).”

He further said Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya have been charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust for various financial irregularities.

“These sections have been invoked based on the evidence found against the accused persons,” Gupta said.

He said the SIT had collected the required evidence from Singapore under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty that exists between India and Singapore.

Gupta had visited Singapore in connection with the probe in October.

The chargesheet was prepared by Rosy Kalita, Moromi Medhi and Naba Deka of the nine-member SIT team after recording statements of over 300 persons.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had claimed in the recently concluded Assembly session that the singer was murdered.

“Chargesheet has been filed in the court, which will decide the case. We will always have faith in the court,” Sarma said on Friday.

Sarma asserted that the promise made to the people of the state in connection with the singer’s death has been fulfilled with the filing of the chargesheet by the SIT within the stipulated time frame.

“We had taken the responsibility of ensuring justice to Zubeen Garg and we fulfilled this with the SIT submitting the charge sheet within a record time in the court today,” Sarma said on the sidelines of a programme in Kokrajhar.

Additional reporting by PTI