Assam: Shyamkanu Mahanta's father-in-law passes away

Kiran Chandra Deka, a veteran educationist who steered the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) examinations for nearly a quarter-century, died on Tuesday, December 16. He was the father-in-law of Shyamkanu Mahanta, the festival organiser currently in judicial custody facing murder charges in connection with singer Zubeen Garg's death on September 19, 2025. Mahanta is married to Deka's daughter, Anita.

Mahanta, who organised the North East India Festival in Singapore where Garg died under mysterious circumstances whilst swimming in the sea, has been charged with murder alongside three others. A Special Investigation Team filed a chargesheet spanning over 3,500 pages before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court, with the case drawing widespread public attention across Assam.

Deka served as SEBA's controller of examinations for approximately 25 years, a tenure marked by the smooth conduct of matriculation examinations without major irregularities. His administrative competence later saw him appointed as the founding secretary of the Meghalaya School Education Council, where he served for five years.

A product of Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Dibrugarh, where he completed his matriculation, Deka went on to study at Cotton College, Guwahati, completing his Intermediate in Science and BSc degrees there. Before pursuing postgraduate studies, he spent a year teaching at Don Bosco School, Guwahati, whilst translating several English works into Assamese.

After obtaining an MSc in Statistics from Gauhati University, Deka joined DM College, Imphal, where he rose from lecturer to head professor before his appointment at SEBA.

Following his retirement in 1993, Deka remained active in literary pursuits. He translated Émile Zola's novel 'La Terre' into Assamese under the title 'In the Heart of the World' and authored the Assamese book 'Tahanir Ito Sito'.