Page 2 - Assam

Assam halts all film screenings to honour Zubeen Garg's film Roi Roi Binale

The North East state comes together to celebrate the legacy of Zubeen Garg with an exclusive statewide screening of his final film, Roi Roi Binale

Assam CM orders police action after Bangladesh anthem sung at Congress meet

This is a blatant insult to the people of India and aligns with recent assertions by certain Bangladesh citizens that the North-East will eventually belong to Bangladesh, Sarma said

Assam CM, Priyank Kharge trade barbs amid row over semiconductor projects

Priyank Kharge sparked controversy with remarks questioning the decision to set up semiconductor industries in Assam and Gujarat instead of Bengaluru

Judicial custody of 5 accused in Zubeen's death case extended by 14-days

A local court here on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of the five accused in Zubeen Garg's death case by 14 days. The five accused are North East India Festival (NEIF) chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer's manager Siddhartha Sharma, his cousin and police officer Sandipan Garg, and his personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya. Lodged in Baksa jail, they were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup Metropolitan, virtually, an official said. "The current judicial custody of the five accused will end tomorrow. They were produced before the CJM through virtual mode, and the custody was extended by 14 days," he said. Garg had died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19, while visiting the Southeast Asian country to attend the 4th NEIF. The five accused were taken to the Baksa jail on October 16 at the end of police remand. Violence had erupted in front of the prison when they were brought with locals protesting the move.

We will file chargesheet, says Assam CM on Zubeen Garg's death case

Assam CM also expressed complete confidence in the SIT probe into the death of Zubeen Garg

Rail services disrupted in Assam after IED blast near Kokrajhar station

Railway services across Lower Assam and parts of north Bengal were disrupted early on Thursday after unidentified miscreants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) on a railway track in Kokrajhar district, officials said. The explosion took place around five kilometres from Kokrajhar railway station on the route towards Salakati after midnight, an official said. "The blast ripped apart nearly three feet of railway line with fragments of the damaged track found strewn several metres away," he added. Kokrajhar Senior Superintendent of Police Pushpraj Singh said there were no reports of any casualties or derailment in the incident. "The damage was limited to a short portion of the track, which was promptly repaired. Train movement has resumed now," he added. Train operations were suspended overnight, affecting several Up and Down trains in Lower Assam and northern West Bengal till around 8 am, another official said. Railway and security personnel conducted thorough inspectio

Assam Police team reaches Singapore to probe singer Zubeen Garg's death

Two senior officials of the Assam Police reached Singapore on Monday to investigate the death of singer Zubeen Garg in the island country last month, an official said. An 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. According to a senior official, CID Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta and Titabor Co-District SP Tarun Goel have already reached Singapore in a direct flight from Guwahati. Gupta is heading the special investigation team (SIT), while Goel is a member of the nine-member group. The official declined to share the details of the probe in Singapore, but a source said the two SIT members will visit the "place of occurrence where Garg had breathed his last". "Linking the series of events with the place of occurrence is one of the most important aspects of the entire investigation process. Besides, the Assam Police team will sit with their counterparts in ...

A month on, Assam mourns Zubeen as family, fans seek answers on his death

Even after the passage of a month after the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg, people of Assam continued to mourn the loss, seeking answers on the final moments of the singer. Garg died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19. Garg's wife, Garima, said the family, along with the people of the state, are waiting to know what happened in his final moments, and expressed faith in the legal system to unravel the truth. Hundreds thronged Garg's cremation site at Sonapur, on the outskirts of Guwahati, since early this morning, paying tributes to their beloved singer-composer. Fans and friends of the singer-composer also visited his residence at Kahilipara area of the city and his studio in Zoo Road area to be with his family and join them in remembering him. A 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) of state police's CID is probing his death, with seven persons being arrested so far. Singapore Police are also conducting its investigation, with SIT officers from Assam

Infiltration stopped in Assam, illegal immigrants welcomed in Bengal: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday claimed that while infiltration has stopped in BJP-ruled Assam, it was continuing in adjoining West Bengal because the government there was giving a "red carpet welcome" to illegal immigrants. Addressing a media conclave in Patna, he also mocked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for having given up the diatribe on "vote theft", reiterating that Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls would weed out "infiltrators". "It is baffling that the opposition has been getting a bellyache over an exercise launched by the Election Commission, which would weed out infiltrators. I am fully in support of the SIR exercise, which would eventually take place in the entire country," he said at the conclave organised by ABP News and Hindustan. Shah, however, bristled when reminded of the opposition charge that if there were infiltrators in the country, the blame ought to be on the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, which has been in power at the ...

Assam cabinet expands as BPF MLA Charan Boro takes oath as minister

The Assam Cabinet was expanded on Saturday as Bodoland People's Front (BPF) MLA Charan Boro took oath as a minister. Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Boro, the second-time MLA from Majbat constituency. The development comes after the BPF, which had been supporting the ruling BJP-led coalition in the assembly without being a partner of it, swept the recently held Bodoland Territorial Council elections. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, several of his Cabinet colleagues and other dignitaries were present at the swearing-in ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan. Boro filled the last vacant position in the state council of ministers. With the latest induction, the cabinet now has 15 members of the BJP, including the CM, two of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and one each of the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) and the BPF. This is the fourth expansion of the Sarma-led Cabinet.

Situation normal in Assam's Baksa after Zubeen case unrest, net restored

The situation in Assam's Baksa district has returned to normal two days after violent protests erupted over the shifting of five accused in singer Zubeen Garg's death case to Baksa District Jail, an official said on Friday. Internet and mobile data services, which were suspended following the unrest, have been restored with immediate effect as there is "no further apprehension of public unrest or breach of peace," according to a notification issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Ajay Tewari. Meanwhile, two persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the violence and instigating the local people in attacking the convoy while 15 others involved in the incident have been identified from video footage so far, the official said. Security has been tightened in and around the jail, where the accused, including the late singer's manager, cousin, and two personal security officers, have been lodged following a court order. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS .

Rahul Gandhi urges full probe into Zubeen Garg's death in Singapore

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said Zubeen Garg's family and the people of Assam have the right to know what happened to him in Singapore. The sooner the truth comes out, the better in Zubeen Garg's case, as the family needs closure, Gandhi said, after visiting the singer's family at their Kahilipara residence here. It is the duty of the Assam government to transparently investigate and tell the family exactly what happened in Singapore, the former Congress president said. The family has lost Zubeen, and they only want the truth to come out, Gandhi said. Garg died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19.

Zubeen Garg death case: 2 accused band members remanded to judical custody

Two band members of Zubeen Garg Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta were remanded to judicial custody on Friday, after their 14 days of police remand ended in connection with the singer's death in Singapore last month. The duo was brought to court and later taken away in separate police vans, after the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate remanded them to judicial custody. Authorities are tight-lipped about the prison where they will be lodged, following violence outside the Baksa District Jail where the five other accused in the case were taken on Wednesday, after they were remanded to judicial custody. Both Goswami and Mahanta were arrested on October 3 after several days of interrogation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), and remanded to 14 days' police custody. Altogether, seven persons have been arrested by the SIT since October 1 in the case, and all have been remanded to judicial custody. Garg had died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19.

Rahul Gandhi to visit Assam today for paying tribute to singer Zubeen Garg

Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is scheduled to arrive here on Friday to pay tribute to singer Zubeen Garg, who died in Singapore last month. Gandhi will visit Garg's resting place at Sonapur, on the outskirts of Guwahati, to offer his respects to him, a Congress leader said. He will also visit the singer's residence to convey his condolences to the bereaved family members, he said. Garg, 52, died in Singapore while swimming in the sea on September 19. He was cremated with state honours on September 23 near Guwahati. The Assam government formed an SIT that is investigating the circumstances that led to his death. Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi had visited the site on Thursday to review the arrangements for Gandhi's visit. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had on Thursday said that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's visit to pay tribute to cultural icon Zubeen Garg was after 28 days of his death, but it is still 'better late than ..

3 soldiers injured as terrorists open fire on Army camp in Assam's Tinsukia

Three Army personnel were injured when unidentified terrorists fired at the security force's camp in Kakopathar area in Assam's Tinsukia district early on Friday, a defence spokesperson said. The Army and the police have launched a search operation in the area to arrest the terrorists, he said. Around 12.30 am, unidentified terrorists fired at the Kakopathar Company location from a moving vehicle. The troops on duty retaliated immediately and effectively took caution to avoid collateral damage to civilian houses in the vicinity, the Army spokesperson said. He said the terrorists fled the spot after carrying out speculative firing using automatic weapons due to retaliation by the army. No major injuries were sustained other than minor abrasions to three personnel. The area has been sanitised and joint searches in coordination with the police are being carried out, the spokesperson added. The area is close to the interstate boundary between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Zubeen Garg death case: 5 accused to appear before Guwahati court today

Those being produced before the court include Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddharth Sharma and others who were arrested by SIT/CID in connection with the case

Zubeen death case: 2 more Assamese expats from Singapore appear before CID

Two more Assamese expats, who were present during the dying moments of cultural icon Zubeen Garg in Singapore last month, appeared before the Assam Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday, which is probing the death of the singer, a top officer said. So far, seven Assamese NRIs living in the Southeast Asian nation have deposed before the investigating agency here, with four more who have been issued summonses by the CID yet to appear. "Today, Abhimanyu Talukdar and Tanmoy Phukan have come from Singapore and are appearing before the CID. Their interrogation is on and statements are being recorded," CID Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta told reporters in a brief statement. Both are top office-bearers of the Assam Association Singapore and were present on the yacht when Garg died while swimming in the sea there on September 19. Garg was in Singapore to attend the 4th North East India Festival. Gupta had said on Monday that four expats -- Jiolangsat Narzary, Parikshit

Zubeen Garg's co-singer Satabdi Borah records statement before SIT

Speaking to the media after giving her statement, Satabdi said that the people of Assam are eager to know the truth about what happened to Zubeen

Zubeen Garg death: 3 more Assamese expats from Singapore arrive for probe

Three more Assamese expats, who witnessed cultural icon Zubeen Garg's dying moments in Singapore, on Monday appeared before the police here in response to the second notice against them, a top official said. Within the next two days, a few more Assamese NRIs living in Singapore are expected to come and record their statements before the Assam Police, he added. Jiolangsat Narzary, Parikshit Sharma and Siddhartha Bora reached the CID headquarters in the morning, while another expat Bhaskar Jyoti Dutta is scheduled to arrive later in the day, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta told PTI. "We have started our interrogation with the three. We are now waiting for the fourth person," he added. The police issued fresh summonses to 10 people associated with Assam Association Singapore as they failed to appear before the investigating agency within the deadline of October 6. Earlier, only one Assamese person from Singapore, Rupkamal Kalita, appeared before

Singapore Police sought vital information over Zubeen's death, says Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the Singapore Police has sought some "vital information" in connection with the death of singer Zubeen Garg in the island nation. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, Sarma said the Assam government has already collected and forwarded the required inputs to the authorities in Singapore. "Yesterday, the Singapore Police sent some vital queries to his family. We have already collected the inputs from the family and sent those to the Singapore authorities. They are investigating the case very seriously," he said. The CM, however, did not specify what information the foreign nation sought from Garg's family. The celebrated singer died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19. He had gone to the Southeast Asian nation to attend the 4th edition of the North East India Festival. The Indian government had earlier invoked the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Singapore, seeking cooperation