Singer Zubeen Garg died in a scuba diving accident in Singapore on September 19. Assam’s “beloved rockstar” was cremated with state honours and a 21-gun salute on Tuesday. After a second autopsy found no evidence of foul play in his death, he was cremated in Kamarkuchi on the outskirts of Guwahati.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of legendary Assamese singer Zubin Garg has arrested musician Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, who was present during the controversial yacht trip linked to the incident.
Although authorities have not yet released specific details of the charges against Goswami or whether he will be formally charged, he has been detained for questioning.
Sources said police are trying to piece together the chain of events surrounding Garg’s unexpected death and the investigation is proceeding from various angles.
The Assam government has formed a 10-member SIT led by Special DGP MP Gupta to probe Zubin’s murder.
Cultural activist and businessman Shyamkanu Mahanta is also being investigated by the SIT. He is currently in the airport lounge and has apparently expressed his willingness to surrender to the CID. Authorities said he will be arrested.
In addition, several members of the Singapore Assam Association may be arrested on charges of irregularities related to the case.
According to authorities, many more arrests are likely as the investigation continues. As part of their investigation, SIT officials visited Mahanta’s house earlier in the day. However, no information was released about the outcome of the raid.
Days after the singer’s death, the SIT raided the house of Zubin’s manager in Assam and the musician was arrested on the same day. The property of Zubin Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma in Datalpara, Guwahati, was searched.
Before the raid, CID officials reached the property early in the morning and reportedly stood outside the three-storey building for about two hours.
The probe into the singer’s death was initiated due to public demand, allegations of corruption and the need to maintain transparency in the investigation into the singer’s untimely death.
According to initial reports, Garg died while scuba diving. However, his wife Garima Saikia Garg has denied the rumours of a scuba diving incident, explaining that the singer suffered a seizure while swimming at Lazarus Island.
He noted that during his first swim, Zubin was wearing a life jacket and was joined by colleagues including his manager Siddharth Sharma and musician Shekhar Jyoti Goswami.
After returning to shore, Zubeen garg suffered a seizure during his second swim and was pronounced dead at Singapore General Hospital at 2:30 pm.
Zubeen garg, who hails from Meghalaya, created a stir in Assamese music in the early 1990s. He rose to fame after his song “Ya Ali” in the Emraan Hashmi-starrer Gangster (2006) became a huge hit with the youth.
