‘Jail or high-end hotel?’: Zubeen Garg’s sister questions Amritprabha's 'VIP' treatment

Dr Palmee Borthakur, sister of music icon Zubeen Garg, has questioned whether the accused in her brother’s death case are being treated like ordinary prisoners or given special privileges, after Amritprabha Mahanta walked out of jail following the grant of bail by the Gauhati High Court on October 9.

Mahanta is the first accused in the case to be released on bail. Borthakur raised questions over the circumstances of her release in a social media post on Tuesday, October 13 drawing attention to the large quantity of belongings that were reportedly loaded into a vehicle as Mahanta left the prison.

Describing the scene, Borthakur said she saw a vehicle being loaded with numerous belongings from inside the jail premises. She also alleged that the vehicle’s driver appeared to be warning people who had gathered nearby to maintain their distance.

“The driver seemed to almost drive the vehicle into the eyewitnesses, as if trying to tell them: be careful, this person is an accused in the murder of Zubeen Garg, not an ordinary person, so stay away,” she wrote.

Borthakur also questioned the quantity of luggage accompanying Mahanta, suggesting that it raised concerns about the conditions under which the accused had spent nearly a year in custody.

“Today I learnt that a jail allows an accused in a murder case to keep so many belongings,” she wrote, questioning whether the facilities provided to the accused warranted scrutiny.

“I could not understand whether it was a jail or a high-end hotel,” she added, calling for the matter to be examined. She also referred to “both jails” in her post but did not specify the two facilities.

Concluding her post, Borthakur questioned whether the accused were being treated as ordinary prisoners or receiving VIP treatment while in custody.

Mahanta’s release follows the Gauhati High Court’s bail order dated October 9. Her release does not, by itself, determine the outcome of the case or establish the guilt or innocence of any accused.

Borthakur’s remarks have brought renewed attention to the treatment of those arrested in connection with Garg’s death. The allegations regarding the circumstances of Mahanta’s departure from jail have not been independently verified.