<p>Guwahati: A fast-track court here on Thursday rejected a petition seeking bail for Shyamkanu Mahanta, the "principal accused" in the alleged murder of cultural icon <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/assam/zubeen-garg-death-court-orders-for-attaching-firm-owned-by-manager-prime-accused-siddharth-sarma-3985640">Zubeen Garg</a> citing possibility of him flying away after getting the bail.</p><p>The court of Sharmila Bhuyan, in her order, stated that there is also a possibility of Mahanta influencing the witnesses and hampering further progress of the case. </p><p>The court said Mahanta did not appear or contact police in Assam after Garg's death on September 19 and left for Malaysia from Singapore with his wife and came to India only after a lookout notice was issued and the Interpol was alerted. </p><p>"This indicated he fled away from the place of occurrence country immediately after the incident and there appears every possibility of his again flying away if granted bail. Mahanta also deleted messages, photographs, video and audio from his mobile handset, which were later recovered and retrieved by the forensic experts during forensic examination. So if the accused is released on bail, there is a possibility of influencing the witnesses and hampering the further progress of the case," said the court.</p><p>Zubeen, 57, was in Singapore as a cultural ambassador for the North East India Festival, organised by Mahanta, a Guwahati-based entrepreneur. Garg died on September 19 following a yacht party in the sea. Although a court in Singapore called it an accident, police in Assam and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that the cultural icon was murdered.</p><p>Mahanta was arrested on October 1 and has been lodged in judicial custody along with six other accused.</p>.Emotions pour in as Assam celebrates first Rongali Bihu without Zubeen Garg.<p>Mahanta's wife, Anita Deka Mahanta, filed the petition in the fast-track court seeking bail claiming that he is innocent and had no role in the alleged offence. </p><p>Objecting to the bail petition, the prosecution, however, told the court that Mahanta is the principal accused and materials collected during investigation revealed that he played a pivotal role in the alleged murder of Garg. He had given a bottle of black and white whisky to the singer, a fact corroborated by independent witness Abhimanyu Talukdar, said the police. </p><p>The prosecution also told the court that investigation revealed that Mahanta blackmailed Garg to travel to Singapore to attend the festival in spite of his poor health condition, did not arrange medical safety, permitted the yacht party and later fled from Singapore. </p><p>"The alcohol supplied by the accused directly contributed to the drowning," the prosecution said. </p><p>Mahanta's bail was rejected a day after the court ordered for attaching a firm in which Siddharth Sharma, Zubeen's manager, had invested money allegedly siphoned off from the iconic singer. Sharma is another "prime accused" in the case. </p>
<p>Guwahati: A fast-track court here on Thursday rejected a petition seeking bail for Shyamkanu Mahanta, the "principal accused" in the alleged murder of cultural icon <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/assam/zubeen-garg-death-court-orders-for-attaching-firm-owned-by-manager-prime-accused-siddharth-sarma-3985640">Zubeen Garg</a> citing possibility of him flying away after getting the bail.</p><p>The court of Sharmila Bhuyan, in her order, stated that there is also a possibility of Mahanta influencing the witnesses and hampering further progress of the case. </p><p>The court said Mahanta did not appear or contact police in Assam after Garg's death on September 19 and left for Malaysia from Singapore with his wife and came to India only after a lookout notice was issued and the Interpol was alerted. </p><p>"This indicated he fled away from the place of occurrence country immediately after the incident and there appears every possibility of his again flying away if granted bail. Mahanta also deleted messages, photographs, video and audio from his mobile handset, which were later recovered and retrieved by the forensic experts during forensic examination. So if the accused is released on bail, there is a possibility of influencing the witnesses and hampering the further progress of the case," said the court.</p><p>Zubeen, 57, was in Singapore as a cultural ambassador for the North East India Festival, organised by Mahanta, a Guwahati-based entrepreneur. Garg died on September 19 following a yacht party in the sea. Although a court in Singapore called it an accident, police in Assam and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that the cultural icon was murdered.</p><p>Mahanta was arrested on October 1 and has been lodged in judicial custody along with six other accused.</p>.Emotions pour in as Assam celebrates first Rongali Bihu without Zubeen Garg.<p>Mahanta's wife, Anita Deka Mahanta, filed the petition in the fast-track court seeking bail claiming that he is innocent and had no role in the alleged offence. </p><p>Objecting to the bail petition, the prosecution, however, told the court that Mahanta is the principal accused and materials collected during investigation revealed that he played a pivotal role in the alleged murder of Garg. He had given a bottle of black and white whisky to the singer, a fact corroborated by independent witness Abhimanyu Talukdar, said the police. </p><p>The prosecution also told the court that investigation revealed that Mahanta blackmailed Garg to travel to Singapore to attend the festival in spite of his poor health condition, did not arrange medical safety, permitted the yacht party and later fled from Singapore. </p><p>"The alcohol supplied by the accused directly contributed to the drowning," the prosecution said. </p><p>Mahanta's bail was rejected a day after the court ordered for attaching a firm in which Siddharth Sharma, Zubeen's manager, had invested money allegedly siphoned off from the iconic singer. Sharma is another "prime accused" in the case. </p>