Guwahati | The trial into the death of Assam singer and cultural icon Zubeen Garg witnessed fresh witness testimonies on Friday, with a doctor and one of his associates appearing before the Fast Track Court in Guwahati.

Dr. Hitesh Baruah and Garg’s associate Hareswar Mahanta appeared before the court as proceedings continued in the case. Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Mahanta said his testimony would assist the court in delivering justice.

“Whatever I said today will help in giving justice to the case,” Mahanta said. He alleged that the lawyer representing accused Amritprabha had sought to establish during questioning that Zubeen Garg was an alcoholic and took all decisions related to his activities himself.

Mahanta, however, told the court that although Garg consumed alcohol, he was not an alcoholic. “He used to have one or two pegs, but after the seizure attack in 2020, whenever I was with him or met him, he never drank. That is what I said,” Mahanta said.

Mahanta also distinguished between Garg’s social and professional decisions. He said Garg personally took decisions concerning social activities and helping people, while his professional engagements were handled by his manager, Siddarth Sharma.

“Regarding professional work, all those decisions were taken by the manager. Zubeen himself sometimes did not know where or what programme he had to attend,” Mahanta said.

The court is recording witness testimonies as the trial progresses. The case concerns the death of Zubeen Garg, whose mortal remains were brought back to Assam after his death. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on August 17 deferred the bail plea of Shyamkanu Mahanta, one of the key accused in the case, and fixed October 5 for the next hearing.