Guwahati: The Assam Cabinet on Friday cleared the appointment of a special team of lawyers as special public prosecutors to handle the death case of Assam’s beloved singer Zubeen Garg.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Cabinet approved a five-member panel of legal experts to strengthen the prosecution in the case.
Senior Gauhati High Court advocate Ziaul Kamar has been named the Special Public Prosecutor, while Brojendra Mohan Choudhury will serve as the Additional Special Public Prosecutor. Kishore Datta, Pranjal Dutta and Bikash Jamar have been appointed as Assistant Special Public Prosecutors.
The move followed an appeal from Zubeen Garg’s wife, Garima, who stressed the need for a prosecution team as strong as the defence.
The Cabinet also welcomed the initiative taken by Garg’s family to establish a trust in his memory. To support this effort, the state government announced a one-time financial assistance of Rs 5 crore.
According to Sarma, the funds will help preserve Garg’s musical contributions and support the creation of a museum dedicated to his life and work.
The Zubeen Garg Trust was formally announced last week by family members, with the aim of safeguarding his artistic legacy and continuing his commitment to culture, society, and young artists.
Garg, aged 52, died on September 19 last year during a yacht event in Singapore organised by the Assam Association. He had travelled there to participate in a cultural programme.
After his death, the Assam government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the CID to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The CID also registered a separate case involving alleged financial misconduct linked to Garg’s manager, Siddharth Sharma, and the festival organiser, Shyamkanu Mahanta.
Those arrested in connection with the murder include Mahanta, Sharma, Garg’s bandmates Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amrit Prabha Mahanta, his cousin and Assam Police DSP Sandipan Garg, and two others who were present in Singapore at the time.
In addition, two of his bodyguards, Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya, were later taken into custody on charges of fund misuse.
The SIT submitted a chargesheet naming seven individuals in the case last month.
The trial is currently underway at the Kamrup (Metro) District and Sessions Court, which has scheduled January 17 as the next hearing date.
The Chief Minister had earlier announced the appointment of special prosecutors after Garg’s wife, Garima, appealed to the government to speed up the legal proceedings
