Guwahati (Assam) [India], November 19 (HBTV): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the Centre has granted legal approval under Section 208 of the BNSS to proceed with the case related to the death of singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore, allowing the state to file a chargesheet by December 10.
Speaking to reporters, Sarma said that under Section 208 of the BNSS, any incident occurring in a foreign country requires prior sanction from the Ministry of Home Affairs or the Central Government. Without this sanction, the court cannot take cognisance of the matter or proceed to trial. He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah has now granted the required approval, enabling the state to file the chargesheet on time. Sarma added that the investigation would be concluded within 10 to 15 days and the chargesheet would be filed before December 10.
The Chief Minister also remembered Zubeen Garg on his birth anniversary and said the Centre has granted the legal approval needed to move forward with the case.
In a post on X, Sarma said that the day marked the 53rd birth anniversary of Zubeen Garg, recalling his music and his place in Assam’s cultural landscape. He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had granted the required sanction under Section 208 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to proceed against those accused in the case. He also explained that the sanction is a crucial legal step that allows the filing of the chargesheet and enables the case to move forward lawfully.
Zubeen Garg, born on November 18, 1972, in Tura, Meghalaya, belonged to an Assamese family and maintained a deep emotional connection with his ancestral village, Tamulichiga in Jhanji, Jorhat. Though his musical journey took him across India and abroad, he remained closely tied to the cultural spirit of Assam and the Northeast.
Garg died on September 19, after which the Assam government formed an SIT to investigate his death. So far, seven people have been arrested by the SIT and CID. They include Shyamkanu Mahanta; Siddharth Sharma, Garg’s manager; Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, his bandmate; Amritprava Mahanta, a co-singer; Sandipan Garg, his cousin; and two PSOs, Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishy. All of them have been sent to judicial custody. Sarma recently said that the SIT would submit the chargesheet before the court by December 8.
(ANI)