Assam CIC resigns after RTI query about his brother accused in Zubeen Garg's death case
Guwahati: Assam Chief Information Commissioner Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, whose brother Shyamkanu has been arrested in Zubeen Garg's death case, on Thursday resigned from his post after an RTI was filed seeking data related to government funds given to his younger sibling. In a long post on Facebook, Mahanta, also the former DGP of Assam, announced his resignation and said that he has already forwarded the letter to the Governor. "You all know that my brother Shyamkanu Mahanta has been linked to the recent death of everyone's beloved artiste Zubeen Garg. "In this context, my conscience was telling me that if someone applies for any information about my brother, I should resign from my responsibilities in order to avoid any doubts and suspicions in people's minds," he wrote in the post. Mahanta also said that he had informed the Chief Minister's Office about his decision earlier.
He assumed charge as the CIC on April 5, 2023, after he retired from the post of Director General of Assam Police. Garg died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 while swimming in the sea. He had gone to the Southeast Asian nation to attend the 4th edition of the North East India Festival (NEIF). Shyamkanu, who was arrested along with six more people, was the chief organiser of NEIF. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that Garg was murdered in Singapore, even as the probe into the case was underway. The former DGP said in a social media post that a person has recently filed a petition with the authorities concerned, seeking information about the funds allocated by the government to various cultural institutions, including Shyamkanu. "The petitioner has also written a letter to me personally, stating that he has full confidence in my honesty and transparency. Since the information he wants to know will include that of Shyamkanu, he wants me to play the correct role as the CIC," Mahanta added. Since he had already thought about this, Mahanta submitted his resignation to the Governor without any delay, the post claimed. "Those who know me have no doubt that even if I were in-charge, that person would have received completely accurate information. However, in order to avoid the slightest doubt in people's minds, I decided to resign from my responsibilities in this way," he said. NEIF chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer's manager Siddharth Sharma, and his two band members -- Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amrit Prabha Mahanta -- were apprehended for their alleged role in the death of the musician. Later, Garg's cousin and Assam Police DSP Sandipan Garg was arrested in connection with the singer's death in Singapore last month. Zubeen Garg's PSOs Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya were also apprehended after police found huge financial transactions, worth over Rs 1.1 crore, from their accounts.
All seven arrested people are now in judicial custody. They were booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy and causing death by negligence. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Assam Police is currently probing Garg's death case after more than 60 FIRs were lodged across the state. Later, the Assam government set up a one-man judicial commission, headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia of the Gauhati High Court, to probe the mysterious death of the singer-lyricist-composer. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is also carrying out an independent investigation into Garg's death.
