In Guwahati, March 25, opposition parties in Assam questioned the Assam police after the death of Zubeen Garg, following a ruling by Singapore's Coast Guard that there was no foul play.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma maintained that there was "no difference" between the Singapore conclusion and the state police's chargesheet, and that it would "strengthen" the case.
The coroner in Singapore found that Garg's death was "simply due to an unfortunate and tragic accidental drowning" and that no one had forced, coerced, or pushed him into the water.
Opposition parties in Assam, who are preparing for elections, said that the "mystery" surrounding Garg's death on September 19 last year remains unsolved, particularly with investigating agencies in India and Singapore arriving at different conclusions in the same case.
Addressing a concern raised by Garg's wife about the Singapore Coast Guard's finding that there was no foul play, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said the PCG had conducted a comprehensive and thorough investigation in this case.
Nakhoda said that Garg was intoxicated, which likely impaired his judgment.
The singer-composer drowned while swimming off Lazarus Island in September last year, a day before he was scheduled to perform at the North East India Festival in Singapore.
Shortly after the coroner's verdict, Garg's uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur posted on Facebook: "Many are using Zubeen's name to sway voters in this election season. I urge them not to do so. Because, during his lifetime, these same people had ignored Zubeen."
Assembly elections in Assam will be held on April 9.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Assam Police's CID investigated the death and filed its chargesheet before a local court here in December, naming seven accused. Four of them are facing murder charges.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the state Assembly in November that Garg's death was a case of "plain and simple murder".
A fast-track sessions court was notified on Tuesday to hear the case here on a day-to-day basis.
Reacting to the coroner's ruling on the sidelines of an election campaign meeting, Sarma said, "There is no difference between the Singapore judgement and our chargesheet... I think this judgement will strengthen our case."
He pointed out that the coroner said Garg had consumed alcohol, and the same thing was stated by the Assam police also. "The only thing we said was he was made to drink it," the CM added.
Further, the coroner's court said the singer had been drinking since the night before the incident, which was also concurred by Assam Police, Sarma said, adding. "We said Amrit Prabha (an accused) was making him drink as part of a conspiracy.".
The chief minister, who also holds the charge of the home department, said that he has been maintaining from the very beginning that the Assam Police would be able to do a better job in the case than the Singapore police.
"Some people were saying that Assam Police should have gone to Singapore. Had we gone there, what would have been our situation today? That we did the right thing has been proven by today's verdict," he maintained.
"Today, the people of Assam will understand how sincerely we have been working, staying away from politics. We would not have got the same result had we gone to Singapore. When the bank accounts are here, and the conspiracy was hatched here, what would we have done there?" the CM posed..
Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, however, asserted that people want to know the truth. "People demand the truth. The chief minister must now reveal whether the murderers have been punished or not," he said.
Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) leader Chittaranjan Basumatary said that the "mystery behind Garg's death remaining unsolved was unfortunate". He questioned how the investigation system of two countries can come out with different results in the same case.
"The chief minister had asked the people to vote for him only if he could ensure justice for Zubeen. Let's see how he can ensure it after so much delay now," Basumatary added.
Of the seven accused in judicial custody in the case, NEIF chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer's manager Siddharth Sharma, and his two band members, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amrit Prabha Mahanta, are facing murder charges.
The singer's cousin and suspended Assam Police DSP Sandipan Garg is charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Garg's two PSOs, Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya, are also in jail, charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust by misappropriating funds or property entrusted to them.
