The Special inquiry Team (SIT) apprehended its first suspect on Thursday, marking a significant milestone in the inquiry into the killing of cultural hero Zubeen Garg.
An important step in the investigation was the removal of Shekharjyoti Goswami, a musician and Garg's bandmate, from his home in Garigaon, Guwahati.
SIT officials also paid visits to the homes of Garg's manager Siddhartha Sharma and North East India Festival (NEIF) organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta as part of the ongoing probe.
Although Mahanta is still unaccounted for, a video that has gone viral on the internet indicates that Sharma might have reached Guwahati airport on Tuesday at 11:30 p.m., defying previous reports that he was in Shillong, Meghalaya.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma denied earlier in the day that Mahanta and Sharma were in Guwahati.
The accused are not in Guwahati, in my opinion. They would have called the police for protection or other reasons if they had been present.
They're not in the city right now, but the SIT team is tracking them," Sarma told reporters.
Mahanta, who is still unknown to the SIT, was also mentioned by the chief minister.
"Mahanta opposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government in every position during the most recent parliamentary elections.
I never responded to the numerous messages he sent me. He is aware of my position.
In the name of promoting Assamese culture, I have never condoned its falsification. He said that the Rongali and North East Festivals he hosts are in no way representative of the state's actual culture.
More developments in the probe are anticipated in the days ahead, since Goswami's imprisonment and additional interrogation of important individuals are planned.
All 15 of the people who were with Zubeen in his last moments in Singapore are also expected to be called by the SIT.
