Exclusive | Zubeen Garg Case: Four accused Arrested, More Names To Be linked

Assam Police on Thursday charged Zubeen Garg’s manager, Siddharth Sharma, with murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence in connection with the death of the singer.

The unfortunate incident occurred on September 19, before a music festival in Singapore. Similar charges were filed against Shyamkanu Mahanta, the manager of the North East India Festival. Further, two close aides of the singer, musicians Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta, who were arrested in connection with the death of Assam’s celebrated singer Zubeen Garg, have been remanded to 14 days’ police custody.

Sharma and Mahanta were arrested on Wednesday; the former from an apartment in Gurugram and the latter at the Delhi airport after his Singapore flight landed. As per police sources, Section 103 of the BNS has been added to the case. Section 103 of the BNS deals with the punishment for murder.

The investigation into the death of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg has intensified, with four individuals now under arrest, all facing allegations of conspiracy in the high-profile case.

Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta, head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of singer Zubeen Garg, confirmed that new sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) have been added to strengthen the case as interrogations continue.

Further, Zubeen Garg’s wife Garima Saikia Garg’s statement was recorded in the CJM court related to the case. Zubeen’s family had already filed a case with the CID against all the accused, demanding the full sequence of the event and justice. As per sources, a Judicial Commission will be formed to investigate the Zubeen Garg incident.

Accused and Their Alleged Roles:-

1.    Shyamkanu Mahanta – Festival Organiser
Shyamkanu Mahanta was the organiser of the festival and has been under investigation for his role in bringing Zubeen Garg on the trip. Along with that, allegations have been raised regarding his financial links.

2.    Siddharth Sharma – Manager
A long-time associate and manager of Zubeen Garg, Sharma was brought from Rajasthan to Guwahati after being tracked by police. Investigators allege that he was in a position of responsibility during Zubeen’s stay in Singapore but failed to ensure his safety. His custody is being used to reconstruct the singer’s final hours.

3.    Shekhar Jyoti Goswami – Musician
Goswami, a fellow musician, was arrested on October 2. He was reportedly present in Singapore when Zubeen passed away. Investigators believe he may have been directly involved in the sequence of events and have charged him as a conspirator.

4.    Amritprabha Mahanta – Musician
Another musician linked to the case, Amritprabha Mahanta, was also in Singapore at the time of Zubeen’s death. Police are probing whether he, alongside Goswami, played a role in exposing Zubeen to conditions unsafe for his known medical vulnerabilities. Both he and Goswami have been remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody.

Meanwhile, Shyamkanu Mahanta filed a petition in the Supreme Court on September 30 while he was in Singapore. The petition, intended as a preemptive legal step ahead of his return to India, has not yet gained significant momentum. In his writ petition, Mahanta described himself as a victim of a “well-calculated witch-hunt,” alleging that certain sections of the media have been running “irresponsible and false narratives” linking him to Zubeen’s death. He claimed that he has been subjected to a “media trial” and “large-scale public hatred,” without any substantive basis.

In an exclusive conversation with NewsX, MP Gupta, Special DGP and head of the SIT, revealed exclusive details of the investigation.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the death of iconic singer Zubeen Garg is continuing its investigation with “all due seriousness,” said MP Gupta. Gupta acknowledged the intense public emotions surrounding the case, describing it as one of the most high-profile investigations Assam Police has faced in recent years.

“We investigate cases as per the procedure prescribed in law, under the BNSS provisions. Ultimately, all material will go to the court. We will investigate as per due process and as early as possible,” Gupta said.

The singer’s death was first examined in Singapore, where the initial post-mortem was carried out. Once the body was brought back to Assam, a second post-mortem was conducted at Guwahati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH) by a panel of doctors. Gupta noted that while the Singaporean authorities will directly share their report with Zubeen’s wife, the GMCH findings are still pending further analysis from CFSL Delhi. “After those reports are available, the panel will submit its report,” he said. Gupta also confirmed that investigators have recovered Zubeen’s missing mobile phone and certain personal items from his bag. These have been taken into account as part of the ongoing investigation.

The Assam government had set up a 10-member SIT, led by Special Director-General Gupta, to investigate the singer’s death. The 52-year-old went for a swim in the waters off Singapore.

Also Read: Zubeen Garg Death Case: Assam CM Assures Justice In Zubeen Garg Case, SIT Raids On Associates Residences