Assam CM says Zubeen Garg’s death was ‘plain and simple murder’ in Assembly

Guwahati: The Assam Assembly on Tuesday admitted an adjournment motion on the death of singer Zubeen Garg after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged the Speaker to allow a discussion on the matter, marking a tense start to the winter session.

Garg died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19, and a Special Investigation Team of the Assam Police is examining the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Himanta calls Garg’s death ‘plain murder’

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told the Winter Session of the Assembly that his government had never opposed the adjournment motion on the Zubeen Garg case. He stressed that, based on the preliminary investigation, Garg’s death was not a case of culpable homicide but “a plain and simple murder.”

Responding to questions from the Opposition, the Chief Minister said the government had asked the court to include Section 103 alongside Sections 61, 105 and 106 of the BNS. Following deliberations, the court agreed and allowed the addition of Section 103. He underlined that the case had been treated as a murder from the very beginning, and without Section 103, all the accused could have secured bail.

The motion was originally moved by Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia and Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi, who pressed for an immediate debate when the House convened after obituary references. As Speaker Biswajit Daimary prepared to rule on the admissibility of the motion, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma intervened, noting that the government was “equally seized of the matter” and requesting that the adjournment be permitted.

Sarma also asked that several urgent bills and supplementary grants listed on the day’s agenda be allowed to be placed later in the sitting. He added that no member from the Treasury benches would participate in the discussion, saying the government would “only place its reply.”

Granting the adjournment, the Speaker said the scheduled bills and supplementary grants would be taken up after the debate. He cautioned members to refrain from comments that could impede the ongoing investigation into Garg’s death.

The opposition has made clear that justice for Garg will be a core issue throughout the winter session. Parties also plan to raise concerns over alleged hate speeches by the Chief Minister, eviction drives, unemployment, inflation and perceived gaps in public welfare schemes.

All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Rafiqul Islam said his party intended to strongly highlight what it views as injustices and governance failures. “We will try to raise many important issues… We will definitely raise the issue of getting justice for Zubeen Garg, who is a piece of everyone’s heart in Assam,” he said. Calling recent eviction operations “cruel,” he added, “We will raise our voice against the inhumane way in which people were evacuated this winter. Our Assam CM usually targets specific groups and gives hate speeches; we will raise our voice for that.”

Deadline for public statements extended

Meanwhile, the one-man commission probing Garg’s death has extended the deadline for receiving statements and evidence until December 12. The commission, headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia, began recording statements on 3 November. Member-secretary Aroop Pathak said the previous deadline of November 21 had been pushed back, and a notice issued on Friday invited anyone with knowledge of the incident to submit a notarised affidavit between 10.30am and 4pm on all days except Sundays.

(With PTI and ANI inputs)