AJP Announces Protest on Feb 27 Demanding Fast-Track Court in Zubeen Garg Case

Amid the ongoing political churn in Assam, the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) on Saturday held what it described as a “non-political” press conference at its party headquarters in Guwahati, focusing primarily on the delay in justice in the death of music icon Zubeen Garg.

Addressing the media, AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, along with general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan and secretary Chitraranjan Basumatary, expressed concern over “inaction and neglect” by the state government. Demanding a fast-track court trial and timely justice, the AJP announced that it will stage a public protest on February 27.

Gogoi noted that five months and two days have passed since Zubeen Garg’s death. Gogoi recalled that on September 20, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had stated on the floor of the Assam Legislative Assembly that the incident was a case of murder and announced an SIT probe. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed on September 24, and its report was submitted on December 12.

According to the AJP chief, the Chief Minister had also spoken about moving the case to a fast-track court on the same day the SIT report was submitted. However, he alleged that no visible steps have been taken to ensure a speedy trial. Gogoi claimed that the government appears reluctant to move the case forward through a fast-track court.

Gogoi also pointed out that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Assam three times after Zubeen Garg’s death but did not mention the late singer even once, nor visit the Samadhi Kshetra in Sonapur. Similarly, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the state three times but did not publicly refer to the case.

Gogoi alleged that ‘Zubeen Kshetra’ remains neglected, with construction yet to even begin. They also claimed that the Assam Government did not formally pay tribute to Zubeen Garg during the State Film Awards ceremony, and that the Governor had independently offered homage during his speech.

Lurinjyoti Gogoi also compared the state government’s handling of land allocation for the memorial with that of BTR Chief Hagrama Mohilary, who they said had allotted 30 bighas of land in Zubeen’s name. In comparison, they alleged that even the allocation of 10 bighas by the state government was surrounded by complications.

Raising further questions, the AJP chief pointed out that 13 individuals were reportedly present with Zubeen Garg at the time of his death, and alleged that these individuals have not yet been properly examined as part of the investigation.

He also asked whether there were any business links between certain Singapore-based Assamese individuals and the Chief Minister, and whether there was any connection between the semiconductor project and individuals such as Abhimanyu Talukdar and others.

Claiming that the CM had publicly projected himself as a biggest fan of Zubeen Garg, Gogoi alleged that he had not even watched the singer’s last film Roi Roi Binale, and had failed to expedite the judicial process despite repeated assurances.

Also Read: ‘Not a Single Brick Laid’: Victor Das Says "Zubeen's Biggest Fan" Failed to Build His Memorial