Zubeen Garg Death Probe: Festival Organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta Petitions Supreme Court for CBI/NIA Takeover from Assam SIT

A High-Profile Death and a Supreme Court Appeal

The abrupt tragic and untimely demise of Assamese musical superstar Zubeen Garg in Singapore has rocked the country and the music industry and left fans and the music fraternity devastated. The events that happened to his death have now led to a heated speculation and a complicated legal case. The case has now gained a new dimension with the high profile festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta approaching the Supreme Court of India seeking to hand over the investigation of the case to a central body such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

This legal gimmick is received when Mahanta, who had organised the North East India Festival in Singapore where Garg was to perform, finds himself in the centre of the investigation. His request to the top court of the nation highlights a great doubt towards the investigation of the state level and poses serious questions about the course and objectivity of the ongoing investigation. The petition claims that it is only a federal agency devoid of local interests that can find out the full truth regarding the untimely death of the celebrated singer.

The case has captured the attention of the population and all the developments are under close scrutiny. The move by Mahanta to go to the Supreme Court has added to the publicity of the investigation making it a personal tragedy of national law of legal importance. The reaction of this petition by the court will be a defining instance of the future of an investigation that aims to give solutions to a bereaved family and a million of loyal fans.

With the legal process in motion, the resolution of the case lies in the quest to find the truth and justice to an artist who was a pillar of the culture of millions. The implication of the Supreme Court involvement is an indication of high stakes and an ingrained concern that there is something the current investigation is unable to do in order to unravel the entire story behind the tragic event that occurred very far away home.

Questions Clouding the State Investigation

This request of the Supreme Court by Shyamkanu Mahanta is based on an inherent suspicion of the current investigation being conducted by the Assam SIT. Mahanta has made the claims in his petition that he is the subject of a carefully orchestrated witch-hunt, implying an unfair account is being manufactured against him. He says that the general opinion, which he says is fed by what he refers to as irresponsible media coverage has led to a hostile atmosphere in which a fair and objective investigation by a state agency is most unlikely to happen.

This claim on bias is a grave imputation on the state apparatus. Mahanta argues that senior officials in Assam have issued official statements that are not only derogatory but also prejudiced and hence they have convicting him before the investigation is finished. These, he says, will tend to prejudice the SIT investigation and deny him the presumption of innocence which forms the basis of the legal system. The rebellion of the masses has reached such a point that it suggests directly to his life and freedom.

The petition also points at an overwhelming character of legal actions taken against him in the state. As he has many FIRs and cases filed against him in Assam, Mahanta believes that the whole state machinery is targeting him. He thinks that such a mass and organized legal attack renders any unbiased inquiry by the state-dominated SIT impossible. He knows there will be no chance of serving any justice in Assam since the atmosphere there is very emotional.

Thus, the motion to transfer the case is formulated as a mandatory measure to allow the investigation to be founded on facts and evidence, and not on social opinion and biases. According to the legal team of Mahanta, the current environment in Assam does not favour an unbiased investigation and thus, the presence of a central agency is not only desirable, but also necessary to ensure the ethics of justice are met.

The Push for an Independent Federal Probe

Shyamkanu Mahanta, in his petition, makes a valid point that the investigation should be given to either CBI or the NIA. These federal authorities are felt to be more immune to localized pressure and political interference that Mahanta asserts is now contaminating the case into the death of Zubeen Garg. The CBI is the leading investigative police force in India and it has long been established in dealing with high profile criminal cases of national national interest whereas the NIA is dedicated to the scheduled criminal cases of national as well as international interest.

The CBI takeover argument is based on the reputation of the agency in carrying out noisy and procedural investigations. The case was high-profile and the public was subjected to intense scrutiny, which would have made the work of an agency such as the CBI to be more suited to manage the complexities of the case. A CBI-led investigation would bring some form of objectivity which as the petitioner argues, is absent in the SIT investigation hence helping to restore the confidence that people have in the process.

As an alternative, the plea implies the NIA, otherwise thought to be involved in terror related cases, but then it can also investigate any other grave crime particularly those with international connections, and that is the case here given that the death happened in Singapore. The presence of such an agency as the NIA would indicate the seriousness of the case and make sure that all perspectives, including the cross-border materials, are carefully investigated. This would play a vital role in gathering evidence and collaborating with the Singaporean authorities.

Moreover, Mahanta also has asked a retired Supreme Court judge to oversee and control the investigation. Such an extra level of control would act as a check against the lapses in the procedures or the biases, and the probe will be made to be conducted in a transparent and fair way. The intent of such a move would be to keep the investigative agency on its toes and ensure that justice is the only thing that the investigation is centered on.

The Organizer’s Plight and the Quest for Unbiased Truth

The role of Shyamkanu Mahanta is of a bewailing friend who has been undeservedly blamed and made a villain in the unfortunate demise of Zubeen Garg. He sticks to the fact that even being at the place of the incidence was not within his thoughts since he was busy with the arrangements of the festival.