Witch hunt, media trial: Zubeen Garg’s fest organiser in plea to Supreme Court

Shyamkanu Mahanta, organiser of the North East India Festival and an accused in the case linked to the death of legendary Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, has approached the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the ongoing Assam Police probe. In his petition, Mahanta claimed that he was being subjected to a “well-calculated witch-hunt,” alleging false narratives are being spread against him in the media.

Garg, one of Assam’s most beloved singer, was scheduled to perform at the festival in Singapore on September 19 following a scuba diving accident, just hours before he was to take the stage. The festival was later cancelled.

In his plea, Mahanta, who was arrested earlier this week along with the late singer’s manager Siddharth Sharma and charged with murder, said, “Top executives of Assam have gone to the extent of publicly making derogatory and damaging remarks against him on their official social media handles during the pendency of the investigation, which renders the investigation process futile.”

He claims that such public remarks are likely to influence the ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Assam government.

Mahanta further alleged that there have been “serious threats to his life and personal liberty due to public and media outrage.”

He has also requested that the investigation be transferred from the SIT to a central agency such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

He asserts that only a probe by these agencies can ensure impartiality and prevent further influence from state-level officials or the media.

The plea also urged the top court to direct authorities to preserve all crucial evidence, including post-mortem reports and records from Singapore authorities.

“Singapore authorities said no one was at fault. These reports should be preserved. Video recordings of the accident show Mahanta was not present at the scene. The videos should be taken on record by the probe team,” it noted.

Mahanta has firmly dismissed the allegations against him, while emphasising that they were “ludicrous”. The petition details that the

In his appeal, Mahanta continued to maintain his friendship with Garg, stating, calling the latter “my very dear, personal friend.”

Before their arrests, Lookout notices via Interpol were issued against Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said the two men must appear in Guwahati on October 6 to record their statements before the probe team.

A total of four people have been arrested so far in connection to the case. Besides Mahanta and Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and co-singer Amritprabha Mahanta have been taken into custody.

Garg was cremated with full state honours in Sonapur on September 23, with lakhs of fans turning up to bid him a final farewell.

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