The investigation into the untimely death of beloved Assamese singer Zubeen Garg has veered into highly dramatic territory, with a close bandmate stepping forward to accuse the artist's longtime manager and a festival coordinator of orchestrating a deliberate poisoning scheme. The claims, detailed in police interrogation records, suggest a calculated effort to disguise the incident as a tragic mishap during a leisure outing in Singapore.
Zubeen Garg, 52, a towering figure in Northeast Indian music known for his soulful melodies and energetic live shows, passed away on September 19 while in Singapore for a cultural event. Initial accounts pointed to a seizure while swimming near Lazarus Island, but mounting suspicions have transformed the case into a full-blown murder inquiry. Assam Police have now slapped murder charges on Siddharth Sharma, Garg's manager of many years, and Shyamkanu Mahanta, the lead organiser behind the North East India Festival. Both men were apprehended last week and remain in custody as the probe deepens.
At the heart of the latest revelations is Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, a longtime collaborator and eyewitness who shared the yacht with Garg during his final hours. In a sworn statement to investigators, Goswami painted a chilling picture of negligence and possible malice, asserting that Sharma and Mahanta administered a toxic substance to the singer. He further alleged they selected Singapore as the event site specifically to evade Indian scrutiny and stage the death as an unfortunate accident abroad.
"I saw it all unfold," Goswami reportedly told police, according to documents reviewed by multiple outlets. He described Sharma's erratic behaviour on the vessel, including seizing control from the captain and exposing everyone to unnecessary hazards. As Garg began exhibiting severe distress, gasping for air, frothing at the mouth and nose - Sharma allegedly brushed it off as a simple case of acid reflux, discouraging urgent intervention. Witnesses recall hearing Sharma utter the words "Jabo de, jabo de”, a local dialect phrase translating to "let him go" – while the singer struggled in the water.
Goswami emphasised Garg's prowess as a swimmer, noting that the artist had personally trained him and Sharma in the past. "Zubeen was no novice in the sea; he couldn't have just drowned like that," he insisted. Adding to the intrigue, Goswami claimed Sharma later pressured him to withhold any video clips from the yacht, which captured Garg's last visible moments among friends.
The sequence of events reportedly began innocently enough. Garg arrived in Singapore to headline the North East India Festival, a celebration of India-Singapore ties and ASEAN tourism. The group chartered a private yacht for a relaxed pre-event gathering, but what started as a festive cruise turned tragic quickly. Sharma, who shared a hotel room with Garg at the upscale Pan Pacific, handled beverage arrangements himself, bypassing the event planner's offers, a detail Goswami flagged as suspicious.
When Garg collapsed into the sea, bystanders pulled him out unconscious, but delays in summoning help proved fatal. He was rushed to a nearby medical facility, where efforts to revive him failed. Garg's wife, Garima Saikia Garg, has publicly voiced her trust in the authorities. "We're desperate for answers about those last moments," she said in a recent statement, confirming her husband was managing ongoing health issues with medication at the time.
Assam authorities have assembled a special 10-member task force to sift through evidence, including financial ledgers, communication logs, and forensic samples. Preliminary findings indicate potential irregularities in event funding and property dealings linked to Mahanta, prompting involvement from federal agencies like the Enforcement Directorate. Singapore police have released autopsy details, though they cautioned against circulating unverified footage online.
Garg's passing triggered an outpouring of mourning across Assam, where he was more than a musician, he was a cultural ambassador whose songs bridged generations. Fans gathered en masse for his state-honoured funeral in his native Kamarkuchi village, with many now demanding swift justice and truth.
