Assam Chief Minister urged the residents of the state not to incite violence and turn the state “into Nepal”, amid widespread outrage surrounding the death of singer Zubeen Garg.

“…Today, when the people of Assam are protesting to seek justice for Zubeen, I am not separate from them,” the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said in a video on social media. “…I promise that it is my duty as the chief minister of Assam to bring all those involved in Zubeen’s case before the law…”

Garg, a popular Assamese singer, died on September 19 in Singapore. He died during a yacht trip, a day before he was to perform at the Northeast India Festival organised by Shyamkanu Mahanta.

A death certificate issued by the Singaporean authorities on September 20 stated the cause of Garg’s death as drowning. He was cremated near Guwahati with state honours and a 21-gun salute on Tuesday.

After Garg’s death, more than 50 first information reports were filed against his manager Siddhartha Sharma and Mahanta. The state police formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the case lodged by its Criminal Investigation Department against Mahanta, Sharma and others.

The case had been filed under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing death by negligence.

On their part, both Mahanta and Sharma have issued statements on social media saying that they were avoiding returning to Assam out of concern for their safety, The Indian Express reported.

On Thursday, the SIT conducted searches at the homes of Sharma and Mahanta. During the day, protesters also threw stones at police vehicles outside Sharma’s house, after which the security personnel baton-charged them.

Speaking during a live session on social media on Saturday, Sarma said that the protests against Garg’s death was being likened to the situation in Nepal, The Indian Express reported.

Nepal had been plunged into a political crisis earlier this month after protests sparked by its government’s ban on 26 social media platforms. The agitation evolved into a broader protest against alleged corruption and misgovernance.

“In Assam, we will give the example of [Army general] Lachit Barphukan,” the chief minister said. “We will give [king of Kamarupa kingdom] Maharaj Prithu’s example, [singer] Bhupen Hazarika and Zubeen…Not Nepal’s example.”

“If even one property of Assam is damaged, the most hurt will be Zubeen Garg because this is Zubeen’s Assam,” Sarma added. “…There cannot be anti-government politics in the name of Zubeen. We can’t make Assam Nepal in the name of Zubeen.”

The BJP leader also told Mahanta and Sharma to appear before the Criminal Investigation Department by October 6, the newspaper reported. He added that all of Mahanta’s bank accounts had been frozen.

“Have faith in our government,” Sarma urged the public on social media. “We will ensure justice is delivered in the case of our beloved Zubeen. If we fail, please punish us. But don’t use people’s grief to fuel rumours and misinformation.”

Garg’s family files complaint

On Saturday, Garg’s family also submitted a complaint to the Crime Investigation Department seeking an investigation into the circumstances leading to his death, The Hindu reported.

The complaint was signed by the singer’s wife Garima Saikia Garg, his sister Palme Borthakur and his uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur.

“In the complaint, we specifically mentioned Siddharth Sharma and Shyamkanu Mahanta as the accused and requested an investigation against them,” The Hindu quoted Manoj Kumar Borthakur as saying.

He added that family had also requested that Garg’s entire team who were present on September 19 be brought under the ambit of the investigation.

On Sunday, members of the SIT formed by the Crime Investigation Department visited Garg’s residence in Guwahati’s Kahilipara, the newspaper reported. An unidentified officer from the team told The Hindu that they visited Garg’s residence to record the statements of his family members.

Also read: What does Assam’s moment of unity around Zubeen Garg’s death mean in a time of divisive politics?

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