Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court granted bail to singer Amritprava Mahanta on Friday. She is the first individual charged in the death of Assam icon Zubeen Garg to secure relief. Mahanta must post a bond of Rs 50,000 and provide two sureties of the same amount. She will remain in Haflong Jail until the trial court accepts her bail bond.
Garg, 52, died on September 19, 2025, while swimming in Singapore during the North East India Festival. His death ignited mass protests across Assam, forcing the government to form a Special Investigation Team. The SIT arrested several people, including festival organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta, manager Siddhartha Sharma, and band members Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta.
The SIT chargesheet accuses these four of murder. Garg’s cousin, Sandipan Garg, faces a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. His security detail, Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya, face counts of criminal conspiracy and breach of trust. Investigators claim the death was a conspiracy, not an accident. Two of those security officers previously secured bail in a separate financial case.
The public prosecutor remains in the dark regarding the specifics of the recent ruling. The court concluded hearings Wednesday but released the bail decision without immediate written reasons. “We are yet to receive the reasons behind the court’s decision. We expect to get the detailed order shortly,” the prosecutor noted. State authorities will review the final order before deciding whether to challenge the decision.
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