Baksa: Assam Police on Wednesday resorted to lathi-charge after an agitated mob pelted stones at vehicles carrying five accused in the Zubeen Garg death case to Baksa Central Jail, officials said.
According to police, several people, including a policewoman, sustained minor injuries during the incident. Vehicle windows were damaged, and a few journalists covering the protest were also hit by stones.
A large crowd had gathered outside the Mussalpur jail premises as the convoy arrived with the accused. The protesters shouted slogans demanding “justice for Zubeen” and some allegedly tried to breach the security cordon, police said.
Despite repeated appeals from officers to maintain order, the mob continued advancing toward the jail gate, prompting police to use batons to disperse them. Tension remained high in the area even after the situation was brought under control, and security has been intensified around the jail.
Earlier in the day, a court in Kamrup sent the five accused — North East India Festival (NEIF) chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer’s manager Siddhartha Sharma, his cousin and police officer Sandipan Garg, and two personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya — to judicial custody after the end of their police remand.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Kamrup had directed that the accused be kept in a facility with fewer inmates to ensure their safety. Accordingly, authorities decided to shift them to the newly inaugurated Baksa Jail in Mussalpur, which currently has no other prisoners.
Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg died in Singapore on September 19 while swimming in the sea. His death has sparked widespread outrage and demands for a thorough investigation across the state.