NEW DELHI: The Assam Police officer leading the investigation into the death of singer and Assamese cultural icon Zubeen Garg, who passed away in Singapore last month, said on Saturday that the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) request for CCTV footage and other potentially crucial evidence is currently under consideration by authorities in Singapore.Also Read | ‘Chargesheet within 3 months’: Himanta Sarma says probe in Zubeen Garg case ‘on track’; Assam CM to meet Singapore envoy“The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty has been invoked to seek help in the case. We have requested materials such as CCTV footage through the Ministry of Home Affairs,” explained Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta of the Assam Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, as reported by PTI. Gupta, who heads the 10-member SIT, noted that the request was dispatched soon after the probe began. “The attorney-general’s Office in Singapore, which serves as the central nodal agency, has received our request. It is under their consideration, and we are awaiting their response,” he mentioned.Also Read | Zubeen Garg death probe: Wife says Singapore fest organiser ‘hasn’t been truthful’; urges eyewitnesses to speak upHe clarified that the delay in receiving information has not affected the pace of the ongoing investigation. “Since the SIT cannot travel to Singapore without formal clearance, we are pursuing all details through the proper legal channels,” Gupta added. The officer also revealed that summonses have been issued to 11 Assamese-origin individuals living in Singapore who were present on a yacht when Garg died while swimming in the sea nearby on September 19. Only one among them has responded to the initial notice, prompting a second summons with a revised deadline to the rest.Also Read | Assamese man from Singapore appears before SIT in Zubeen case “The witnesses must appear in person and record their statements,” he emphasised.Zubeen Garg, 52, was in Singapore to participate in the North East India Festival. So far, seven people have been arrested in connection with the case — including festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, manager Siddhartha Sharma, Garg’s cousin and Assam Police DSP Sandipan Garg, bandmates Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta, and personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya.
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