The main organizer of the North East India Festival in Singapore was the High Commission of India in Singapore, functioning under the Union Ministry of External Affairs. The Minister of State for this ministry is Rajya Sabha MP Pabitra Margherita. Since April this year, the Singapore High Commission had been in communication with the Assam Chief Minister’s Office regarding the festival.
It has now come to light that Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma was fully aware of the preparations for the North East India Festival in Singapore. According to information revealed through an investigation by ‘The Crosscurrent’, the Singapore High Commission, under the Ministry of External Affairs, informed Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on April 29 about the North East Festival scheduled for September. The High Commission also mentioned that Shyamkanu Mahanta, the chief organizer of the festival, would be contacting the Assam government.
To convey all these details, India’s High Commissioner to Singapore, Dr. Shilpak Ambule, sent a special letter to Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma. The Chief Minister later forwarded this letter to the Chief Secretary.
After receiving the letter on 29 April, the Chief Minister wrote a note to the Chief Secretary saying “Please speak,” indicating that he should discuss the matter. Subsequently, on 11 May, the Chief Secretary, Ravi Kota, forwarded the letter to the Act East Policy Affairs Department. In his note, the Chief Secretary wrote: “Please write to the Ministry of External Affairs and seek their guidance.”
Two points become clear from this correspondence:
- The North East India Festival—where singer Zubeen Garg was scheduled to perform—was primarily organized by the High Commission of India in Singapore under the Ministry of External Affairs, with Shyamkanu Mahanta as the chief organizer.
- The Singapore High Commissioner had already informed the Assam Chief Minister about the festival back in April, and the Chief Minister had discussed the matter with Chief Secretary Ravi Kota.
What is noteworthy is that the Ministry of External Affairs refused to share information regarding the festival when asked under the Right to Information Act, citing an ongoing investigation. However, The CrossCurrent managed to obtain the letter sent by the Singapore High Commission to the Chief Minister through an RTI request filed with the Act East Policy Affairs Department of the Assam government.