Zubeen Garg death probe: Singer Amritprabha Mahanta’s bail plea rejected

Guwahati: A local court in Guwahati on Friday rejected the bail petition of Amritprabha Mahanta, accused in the death probe of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg.

Mahanta, who was a co-singer of Garg, was slapped with murder charges by the state government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), and she has been in jail for the past few months. The singer approached the Court seeking bail; however, it was turned down by the Court.

The government-appointed prosecutor claimed that Amritprabha Mahanta was directly involved in the conspiracy to murder Zubeen Garg. The bail pleas of two Personal Security Officers (PSOs) were also rejected by the Court.

Reacting to the Court hearing, Garima Garg, wife of the late singer, told reporters here, “I have complete faith in the judicial system. I am hopeful the culprits behind the untimely demise of Zubeen will face harsh punishment.”

Notably, Singapore Police recently told the court that Garg was severely intoxicated on board a yacht shortly before the incident in which he drowned.

According to witness testimonies, Garg had been drinking liquor while being present on the yacht, with one witness saying that he consumed several cups of alcohol, including gin and Whisky, and also took sips of Guinness Stout.

The investigating officer told the court that Garg had initially gone for a swim, returned to the yacht, and was heard saying he was tired, before entering the water again a few minutes later.

The inquiry also examined Garg’s medical history. The court was told that he had a known history of hypertension and epilepsy, with his last reported epileptic episode occurring in 2024. Forensic analysis detected medication for both conditions in his blood.

However, investigators said it could not be conclusively determined whether Garg had taken his epilepsy medication on the day of the incident, as eyewitness accounts on this aspect were inconclusive.

A forensic pathologist testified that there were no physical indicators, such as a bitten tongue, that could establish whether Garg had suffered an epileptic seizure before entering the water.

The captain of the yacht, named Crazy Monkey, also gave evidence before the court. He said that Garg had to be physically supported by two friends while boarding the vessel, as he was unable to walk properly.

The captain added that some passengers had begun drinking even before boarding and that he conducted two safety briefings during the voyage.

In his testimony, the captain said that when he saw Garg entering the water for the second time without wearing a life jacket, he warned one of the singer’s friends that Garg appeared intoxicated and should not enter the water without safety gear.

The captain also added that he jumped into the water and swam towards Garg after noticing him floating face-down. Police told the court that witness statements indicated Garg had entered the water voluntarily and showed no signs of suicidal intent.

IANS