No difference between Assam chargesheet and Singapore verdict in Zubeen Garg case: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on March 25 said there is no difference between the Assam government’s chargesheet and the findings of the State Courts of Singapore in the case related to singer Zubeen Garg.

Reacting to the Singapore court’s verdict, the Chief Minister said, “The Singapore court’s inquiry and our investigation are the same.”
He stated that both the Assam Police and the Singapore court had concluded that alcohol had been consumed from the previous night and that around 380 ml of liquor was found. “The Assam government also said he was intoxicated. The Singapore court has said the same thing,” Sarma said.

The Chief Minister reiterated that the Assam Police had maintained in its chargesheet that alcohol was deliberately fed to the singer as part of a conspiracy. “We have stated that Zubeen Garg was deliberately made to consume alcohol from the previous night,” he said.
Sarma added that the Singapore court’s findings have strengthened the Assam government’s case and vindicated the state police’s investigation. He noted that there had been demands from certain quarters, including opposition leaders such as Akhil Gogoi and Dulu Ahmed, that Assam Police should travel to Singapore to conduct the probe.

“If we had listened to them, what would have been our condition today?” he asked.

The Chief Minister said the alleged conspiracy and related financial transactions were rooted in Assam, and therefore the state police acted appropriately by conducting the investigation within the state. “Today’s judgment is proof that we handled the case sincerely and correctly,” he said, adding that not sending Assam Police to Singapore was the right decision.

Reacting to remarks by Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi seeking justice in the case, Sarma said, “Does he sit in the court? Is he trying for the High Court or MLA?”