Page 9 - Assam

Assam Police DSP held in connection with death of singer Zubeen Garg

Zubeen Garg's cousin and Assam Police DSP Sandipan Garg was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the singer's death in Singapore last month, a senior officer said. This is the fifth arrest in the case. Earlier, North East India Festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer's manager Siddharth Sharma, and his two band members - Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amrit Prabha Mahanta - were apprehended. "We have arrested Sandipan Garg. Now, we are doing the necessary legal formalities," CID Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta told PTI. The apprehended police officer was interrogated several times in the last few days over the singer's death in Singapore last month. Sandipan Garg, a deputy SP and a cousin of the singer, was present with him during the alleged drowning incident in the island country. "Our team has taken him to a court here. We will seek police remand," another senior officer said. The four others, who were arrested earlier in connection with the case, are now in poli

Bajaj Auto gets over ₹3.5 cr demand notice from Assam tax authorities

Bajaj Auto on Tuesday said it has received a tax demand of over Rs 3.5 crore from Assam authorities. The company has received an order for excess input tax credit availed in GSTR-3B as compared to GSTR-2A for FY 21-22, and demanded the difference as tax amounting to Rs 3,51,87,014 along with applicable interest and penalty of Rs 35,18,701, the Pune-based firm said in a regulatory filing. The company availed input tax credit after fulfilling all the conditions as per the provisions of the GST law, it added. Accordingly, based on the merits of the case, the company will be filing an appeal against the Order, Bajaj Auto said. The order does not have any major financial implications on the company, it added. Bajaj Auto shares on Tuesday ended 1.25 per cent up at Rs 8,903.90 apiece on BSE.

Centre okay ₹707 cr for Assam, Gujarat floods; ₹904 cr for fire services

A high-level committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved Rs 707.97 crore of additional central assistance for Assam and Gujarat that were hit by floods and landslides in 2024. The committee has also approved Rs 903.67 crore for Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for the expansion and modernisation of the state fire services. "A high-level committee, headed by the Union home minister, has approved Rs 707.97 crore of additional central assistance to Assam and Gujarat, affected by floods and landslides in 2024," an official statement said. The assistance has been provided from the NDRF, subject to an adjustment of 50 per cent of the opening balance for the year available in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Of the total amount of Rs 707.97 crore, a share of Rs 313.69 crore has been approved for Assam and Rs 394.28 crore for Gujarat. Of the total outlay of Rs 903.67 crore given to Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and

Assam ready to extend help in landslide-hit Darjeeling, Sikkim: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday expressed concern over the loss of lives in West Bengal's Darjeeling due to landslides, and the situation in rain-battered Sikkim, assuring all possible assistance to tide over the crisis. 'We are extremely distressed by the devastation and loss of lives in Darjeeling and elsewhere in North Bengal due to heavy rains,' Sarma said in a post on X. The toll in the devastating landslides in Darjeeling district has risen to 24, as disaster management personnel continued rescue operations on Monday, with several people still missing and thousands of tourists stranded in cut-off hill pockets. 'On behalf of the people of Assam, we are ready to provide any support to the Govt of West Bengal in rescue and relief operations,' the CM said. He also said that the people of Assam 'stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Sikkim in this hour of crisis'. 'The Government of Assam is committed to extend any possible assistance that

Manager, festival organiser may have poisoned Zubeen Garg, says bandmate

Zubeen Garg's bandmate alleges his manager and festival organiser might have poisoned him in Singapore; Assam police have arrested four persons, and a judicial commission will probe the case

Child marriage cases surged six-fold in 2023, Assam leads with 90%: NCRB

Cases registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act jumped six times in 2023 compared to the previous year, with Assam alone accounting for nearly 90 per cent of the total cases, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. The NCRB data also revealed that 16,737 girls and 129 boys were kidnapped or abducted "for marriage" in 2023. The report further shows that 6,038 cases were filed under the Act in 2023, a sharp rise from 1,002 cases in 2022 and 1,050 in 2021. Among these, Assam reported 5,267 cases, making it the state with the highest number of cases. Other states with higher figures in the list include Tamil Nadu (174), Karnataka (145) and West Bengal (118). Several states and Union Territories such as Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Ladakh and Lakshadweep reported no cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act during the year. The Act, enacted in 2006, prohibits marriage of girls below the age of 18 and boys below 21, and criminalises those who .

MHA sanctions ₹692 crore for flood control project in Assam: Minister

The minister informed that three months ago, the state government received approval to identify 15 locations where wetlands will be converted into reservoirs

2 band members sent to 14-day police remand in Zubeen Garg death case

A court in Assam on Friday sent Zubeen Garg's band members Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta to 14 days of police remand in connection with the death of the singer-composer. Munna Prasad Gupta, the Special DGP of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), told PTI that the local court sent the duo to 14 days of police remand. "The interrogation of all the four arrested accused is underway. I cannot share anything more at this moment," he said. Goswami and Mahanta were arrested on Thursday after days of interrogation. The duo was present on the yacht in Singapore, where Garg died on September 19 while swimming in the sea. Police have already invoked murder charges against Garg's manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, who were nabbed from Delhi on Wednesday.

Zubeen's autopsy report shared with Indian authorities: Singapore Police

Police investigations are currently underway in the matter, while the public has been advised to refrain from sharing any videos or images related to the matter

Assam Police book Zubeen Garg's manager and festival organiser for murder

Singer-musician Zubeen Garg died due to drowning while swimming off a Singapore island and not while scuba diving as reported earlier, media reports said Thursday. Assam-based Garg, who was in Singapore for the 60th year of India Singapore Diplomatic Relations and to celebrate India ASEAN Year of Tourism, North East India Festival, died on September 19. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said they have extended a copy of the autopsy report, along with its preliminary findings on Garg's death, to the High Commission of India, upon its request, The Straits Times newspaper reported. The Indian High Commission says it has received the report. According to a source, the report says that Garg died due to drowning. The SPF had earlier ruled out foul play in the death of the 52-year-old singer. In the case of Zubeen Garg, a coroner's inquiry could possibly shed light on the sequence of events leading up to his drowning, the Singapore broadsheet quoted Ng Kai Ling, associate director at LIM

Festival organiser arrested, Zubeen's manager remanded to 14 days' custody

North East India Festival (NEIF) chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and singer Zubeen Garg's manager Siddhartha Sharma have been remanded to 14 days' police custody by the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate, a senior police official said on Wednesday. The duo was arrested and brought to Guwahati from Delhi in connection with the singer's death in Singapore, the official added. Mahanta was arrested on his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi from Singapore while Sharma was arrested from an apartment in Gurugram. The official said Sharma's location was traced, and he was found to have been travelling across Delhi and Rajasthan. After they landed in Guwahati airport, the duo was taken to the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate's residence as courts are closed for Durga Puja. According to the official, the court remanded them to 14 days' police custody. Both were taken to the CID office from the CJM's residence. Meanwhile, Zubeen's wife Garima Saikia Garg, who i

Gautam Adani, son pay homage at Zubeen Garg's Guwahati residence

Leading industrialist Gautam Adani and his son Jeet paid a visit to deceased singer-composer Zubeen Garg's house in Assam's Guwahati on Sunday, and paid homage to the state's cultural icon. Adani and his son spent around half-an-hour at Garg's residence in Kahilipara area here, and met his wife Garima Saikia Garg, an official told PTI. The businessman reached the area around 9 pm along with several senior officials of the Adani Group, and paid floral tributes. "Gautam Adani and his son Jeet came to offer their condolences to the icon of Assam. They sat with Garima for some time and expressed grief over the untimely demise of the singer," the official said. Garg died in Singapore on September 19 while swimming in the sea.

Zubeen Garg's family files complaint with CID, seeks probe into his death

The family of Assam's cultural icon Zubeen Garg filed a complaint with the state CID over his death by drowning in Singapore, seeking a thorough probe into the incident. Garg's uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur, a signatory in the complaint, told PTI that they had sent it to the CID through email on Saturday. "We want a thorough probe into the circumstances of his death," he said. Garg's wife Garima and his sister Palme Borthakur are the other signatories. A senior police officer said, "We have received a complaint from Garg's family and are examining it." He said the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of CID is already probing the incidents surrounding the death of the singer-composer on September 19 in Singapore, and the complaint filed by the family will be taken up with it. A SIT team visited Garg's residence at the Kahilipara area of Guwahati on Sunday, he said. "We needed to ask certain things, and our officers met the family. Their statements are being recorded," he added.

Assam surpasses national average in decline in child marriages: Report

Assam has recorded a sharp decline in the number of child marriages, surpassing the national average, as per a report of a survey carried out by a non-governmental organisation in five states. Legal deterrence, including police complaints and arrests, was identified as among the most effective tools in eliminating child marriage, the report based on the period April 2022 to March 2025 said. The report, 'Tipping Point to Zero: Evidence Towards a Child Marriage Free India', released recently at a side event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, was prepared by the Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change for Children (C-LAB), an initiative of NGO Just Rights for Children (JRC) partner India Child Protection. The report said Assam is leading the nation with the steepest decline in child marriage, recording an 84 per cent drop in cases among girls and a 91 per cent reduction among boys in the last three years. It said that at the national level, child marriages declin

Kaziranga records 283 insect, spider species in first biodiversity survey

Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, famed for its rhinos, elephants and tigers, has recorded 283 species of native insects and spiders, according to the first survey of its kind released on Saturday. Of the total, 254 species are insects and 29 are spiders, making the study a vital step towards understanding Kaziranga's often-overlooked biodiversity and its implications for combating climate change, officials said. According to the survey, there are 85 species of butterflies and moths, 40 species of ants, bees and wasps, along with 35 species of beetles. The report, titled 'Explorative Study of Insects and Spiders of the Woodland Habitat of Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve', documented an impressive diversity of species in the woodland track of Panbari Reserve Forest under Eastern Assam Wildlife Division, a park official said. The survey was conducted and published by entomologists from Corbett Foundation with the support of the forest staff of Kaziranga National ...

Zubeen Garg: The legendary singer, musician who united a divided state

Fondly known as 'Zubeen da', Garg was impossible to slot and invariably treasured. Though his repertoire was fluent, reportedly encompassing 38,000 songs in 40 languages

Assam CM orders SIT to probe into singer Zubeen Garg's untimely death

Taking to his X handle, Assam's CM Himanta Biswa Sarma informed that the SIT will have full freedom to investigate the case with complete professional integrity

Assam bids farewell to Zubeen Garg; last rites held with state honours

Singer Zubeen Garg's body was cremated with full state honours in the sylvan surroundings of Kamarkuchi on the outskirts of Assam's Guwahati on Tuesday amid chanting of Vedic hymns as thousands of mourners gathered to bid farewell to the popular crooner. His sister Palme Borthakur and music composer Rahul Gautam, a protege of the singer, lit the pyre, amid gun salutes. They went around the pyre seven times as priests guided them, and all present at the site, most with moist eyes, stood up to pay their last respect to the singer who mesmerised people with his more than 38,000 songs over three decades. Zubeen's wife, Garima Saikia Garg, was sitting on the side of the platform where his last rites were performed, and was seen sobbing all through the rituals as the singer's friend and Union Minister Pabitra Margherita consoled her. Garg's 85-year-old ailing father, Mohini Mohan Borthakur, was sitting at a distance surrounded by family members. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma,

India, ADB sign $125 mn loan pact to boost urban services in Assam

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday signed a USD 125-million loan agreement with an aim to enhance urban livability and bolster climate resilience in six districts of Assam. The project will benefit 360,000 residents of Assam by delivering continuous metered water supply and upgrading storm water management systems, the finance ministry said in a statement. It also seeks to strengthen urban governance through institutional reforms and capacity building, it said. Key infrastructure investments include the construction of six water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 72 million litres per day and 800 km distribution pipelines in the district headquarters of Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat, and Nalbari, it said. The project will also deploy a real-time monitoring system, aiming to maintain non revenue water below 20 per cent, it said. In Guwahati, the project will enhance storm water management in the Bahini Basin with flood

Over 70% voter turnout marked in Assam's Bodoland Territorial Council polls

Around 70.96 per cent of voters exercised their franchise till 4.30 pm on Monday in the elections to the 40-member Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), which will decide the fate of 316 candidates, officials said. The final turnout figure is awaited as people who entered polling booths before the 4 pm deadline were allowed to cast their votes, they said. There were no reports of any untoward incident from any of the five districts of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). BTC chief Pramod Boro exercised his franchise at Goibari in Tamulpur district, while BPF president Hagrama Mohilary cast his vote at Debargaon Higher Secondary school in Kokrajhar. Polls are being held amid tight security, though no violence took place in the run-up to the elections. The total number of voters in the five districts of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang, Udalguri and Tamulpur is 26,58,153, comprising 13,23,536 males, 13,34,600 females and 17 people of other genders. There are a total of 3,359 polling stations,