Zubeen Garg death: Court directs police to de-freeze bank accounts of key accused, cites lapses

A sessions court in Assam’s Guwahati on Monday directed the police to de-freeze the bank accounts of key accused Shyamkanu Mahanta in the case related to the death of singer Zubeen Garg, observing that procedures had not been followed, The Indian Express reported.

The Kamrup Metropolitan District and Sessions Court issued the order while hearing a petition filed by Mahanta seeking the unfreezing of six savings accounts, two credit cards and a current account in the name of a trust he runs.

All had been frozen during the course of the investigation.

Zubeen Garg, a renowned Assamese singer, died on September 19 during a yacht trip in Singapore, a day before he was scheduled to perform at the North East India Festival there.

A death certificate issued by the authorities in Singapore on September 20 stated the cause of Garg’s death as drowning. The authorities reiterated the findings in October and December.

On January 14, the authorities in the southeast Asian country also said that Garg was “severely intoxicated” and had refused to wear a life jacket when he drowned while swimming in September.

However, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly claimed that the singer’s death was not accidental but was a murder.

The event where Garg was scheduled to perform had been organised by the Indian government and the Indian High Commission in Singapore,...

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