Lathi charge by Assam Police as mob attacks convoy transporting accused in Zubeen Garg death case

Assam Police on Wednesday used a baton charge to disperse an agitated mob that threw stones at vehicles transporting five accused arrested in the aftermath of the suspicious death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg, as they were being taken to Baksa Central Jail.

A few people, including a policewoman, sustained injuries while glass panes of several vehicles were shattered, a senior officer stated. Some journalists covering the protest were also struck by stones.

A large crowd had assembled outside the prison in the Mussalpur area. When the convoy carrying the accused for their judicial custody arrived, the crowd began pelting stones, the officer said. Some protesters even demanded that the accused be handed over to the public to ensure "justice for Zubeen".

Though the convoy managed to enter the jail compound, protesters clashed with police officers stationed at the gate, attempting to breach the barricade, the official added. Despite repeated requests by the police to disperse, the mob pushed forward, prompting officers to use a lathi charge to bring the situation under control.

Tensions continued to simmer in the area as the crowds receded but did not fully disperse. Senior officers remained at the site, and security around the prison has been intensified, police said.

Earlier in the day, Kamrup chief judicial magistrate remanded North-East India Festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer’s manager Siddhartha Sharma, his cousin and now suspended Assam Police officer Sandipan Garg, and his personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya to judicial custody after their police remand ended.

The court, expressing concern for their safety, directed that the accused be sent to a jail with fewer inmates. In line with that order, the authorities shifted all five to Baksa Jail at Mussalpur, inaugurated two months ago and still without prisoners, an official confirmed.

Zubeen Garg, Assam’s celebrated cultural icon, died in Singapore on 19 September while swimming in the sea. In the days to follow, allegations surfaced about the final moments before he drowned, and whether he should have been allowed to go swimming at all.