Zubeen Garg death probe: Cousin arrested by Assam Police, all 11 NRIs aboard yacht summoned

Guwahati: Sandipan Garg, cousin of the late Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, has been arrested in connection with the singer’s death last month in Singapore, and remanded for seven days.

Sandipan, who serves as Superintendent of Police (In-Charge) with the Assam Police Service (APS), was taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Assam’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID). 

He had accompanied Zubeen to Singapore, where the singer tragically died on September 19 during the Northeast India Festival, prior to his scheduled performance. Sandipan was reportedly present at the time of the incident.

Attention is now focused on 11 NRIs of Assamese origin who were present with Zubeen on a yacht party in Singapore, the last known location before his mysterious drowning. These individuals are considered key witnesses.

According to an NDTV report, the Assam SIT has issued summons to all 11 NRIs aboard the yacht, coordinating with the Indian High Commission in Singapore and Singapore police authorities. The first eight were summoned through the High Commission, while the remaining three were directly served in Singapore. All have been asked to join the investigation by October.

Zubeen Garg’s death was initially reported as a drowning accident. However, serious allegations have surfaced, with his bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami accusing the singer’s manager, Siddharth Sharma, and the event organiser, Shyamkanu Mahanta, of deliberately selecting a foreign venue to cover up a possible poisoning conspiracy.

Both Sharma and Mahanta have been arrested in connection with the case. Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and co-singer Amritprava Mahanta have also been taken into custody as part of the ongoing probe.