STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, Oct 16: The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) has urged the Assam government to challenge the bail orders granted to Amritprabha Mahanta and Sandipan Garg in the Zubeen Garg death case before the Supreme Court, expressing concern over the latest developments in the investigation into the death of the iconic singer.
AASU president Utpal Sarma said the state government should take the necessary legal steps to challenge the bail decisions, asserting that the people of Assam continued to seek justice for the beloved artiste.
Reacting to Sandipan securing bail after Amritprabha, Sarma claimed the developments had caused sorrow among the people of Assam. He pointed out that the case was proceeding before a fast-track court on the basis of the Special Investigation Team's (SIT) chargesheet.
He also called upon Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma to place before the court the facts and evidence relating to Zubeen Garg's death that he had publicly referred to on the basis of the chargesheet. He said the government must take responsibility for establishing the facts through the judicial process.
Observing that the public had refrained from taking to the streets because the matter was before the court, the AASU president said this did not mean that the demand for justice had weakened. He urged the government to recognise the depth of public sentiment surrounding the singer's death.
Meanwhile, cultural icon's wife Garima Saikia Garg also questioned the state government's response to the bail developments, urging it to approach the Supreme Court if it was dissatisfied with the Gauhati High Court's decision.
In a strongly-worded statement, Garima asked whether the developments were acceptable to the state's experienced SIT team in the case of State of Assam vs the accused. She questioned whether the government's responsibility towards the singer was limited to its existing actions.
Referring to the cases involving Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma, which were taken to the Supreme Court, she urged the government to ensure that the accused in those cases did not obtain relief and that the remaining accused were not granted relief through any legal avenue.
Garima said the bail decision should be challenged in the Supreme Court, warning that failure to do so would leave her questioning whether the government had accepted defeat before the accused. She also expressed anguish over what she described as the government's inadequate response towards securing justice for the singer, who had devoted himself to Assam and its people.
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