Nine persons have been arrested in connection with the violent protests that erupted near Baksa jail in Assam during the transfer of five accused in the death of singer-composer Zubeen Garg, police said on Saturday.
Baksa senior superintendent of police Ujjal Pratim Baruah confirmed that several others involved in the incident had been identified, and efforts were underway to trace and arrest them.
“We have arrested nine people so far. More have been identified. Some of the accused are absconding but we will apprehend them soon. We have taken this investigation very seriously, and a team is taking it forward. The media, local people, all are helping us,” Baruah said.
Violence had broken out on Wednesday as a mob clashed with security personnel outside the district jail when the five accused—arrested in connection with Garg’s death in Singapore, were brought there following a Guwahati court order remanding them to judicial custody.
Protesters pelted stones at police vehicles escorting the accused, leaving several police officers and journalists injured. A number of vehicles were also set ablaze before police resorted to a baton charge and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Also read: Zubeen Garg case widens, five sent to Baksa Jail
Baruah said that “true fans of Garg have nothing to worry as those who incited the violence in the guise of being fans have been identified”.
Authorities suspended internet and mobile data services in Baksa district after the unrest, restoring connectivity only on Friday as the situation stabilised. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita remain in force in Mushalpur town, where the jail is located and adjoining areas.
Security has since been stepped up around the prison, where the five accused—NEIF chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma, his cousin and police officer Sandipan Garg, and personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya—are currently lodged.
Two other accused, Garg’s band members Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta, were remanded to judicial custody by the Kamrup (Metro) Chief Judicial Magistrate on Friday and shifted to Haflong prison in Dima Hasao district.
Garg, a revered cultural icon in Assam, died while swimming in the sea off Singapore on September 19. He was in the city-state to participate in the 4th North East India Festival.
The case is being investigated by a 10-member special investigation team (SIT) of the Assam Police’s Criminal Investigation Department.
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