Singapore police say probe into singer Zubeen Garg's death may take 3 months or more
Singapore (PTI): Investigations into the death of popular Indian singer and songwriter Zubeen Garg may take up to another three months, after which the findings will be submitted to the State Coroner for further proceedings, the Singapore police said on Friday.
Garg, 52, a celebrated musician from Assam, died on September 19 due to drowning while swimming off St John's Island in Singapore. The singer was in the city-state as a cultural brand ambassador for the North East India Festival scheduled for September 20-21.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) in a statement said its investigations into Garg's death "may take up to another three months or so".
Upon completion of the SPF's investigations, the findings will be submitted to the State Coroner in Singapore, "who will then determine whether to hold a Coroner’s Inquiry (CI)”, the statement said.
A Coroner's Inquiry is a fact-finding process led by a Judicial Officer to establish the cause and circumstances of death, with its findings made public upon conclusion.
The SPF said despite the ongoing investigation, it has shared a copy of Garg’s autopsy report and preliminary findings with the High Commission of India on October 1, upon their request.
The SPF is committed to conducting a thorough and professional investigation into the case, and this takes time, it said.
“We seek the patience and understanding of the parties involved. Meanwhile, we urge the public not to speculate and spread unverified information,” police said.
Preliminary investigations have not indicated any foul play in Garg’s death, they reiterated.
The SPF said it is aware of "speculation and false information circulating online" about the circumstances surrounding the death of the popular Indian singer.
Meanwhile, seven persons have been arrested so far by Assam Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) since October 1 in Zubeen's death case, and all have been remanded to judicial custody.
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Women's quota bill would have ensured defeat of democracy, Constitution: Aaditya Thackeray
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday said that the passage of the women's quota bill would have ensured a "total defeat of democracy", alleging that the legislation, linked with a delimitation exercise, was a political tool designed to reduce the voice of states.
Thackeray, in a post on X, claimed that the Bill would have amended the Constitution for the political means of the ruling regime to increase seats, reduce the voice of many states and enable the gerrymandering of constituencies to ensure unfair victories.
"The very amendment that would have ensured the total defeat of democracy and the Constitution in India stands rejected by the unity of the Opposition MPs," he wrote.
The legislation should have been called "Delimitation to ensure unfair victory Bill", the former minister said, adding that there was a genuine need to enable 33 per cent reservation for women in the current number of seats.
"Now, it is up to the government to ensure that it is implemented in the 543 seats of the Lok Sabha for the 2029 elections and all elections across India, if that is the real intent of the government," he wrote.
A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated on Friday in the Lower House.
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
