Guwahati — In a shocking revelation, late singer Zubeen Garg’s bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami has alleged that the Assamese music icon was poisoned in Singapore, leading to his mysterious death. The explosive claim, documented in the police remand note accessed by PTI, names Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta as the key conspirators.
According to the “Detailed Grounds of Arrest,” Goswami told investigators that Garg could not have drowned accidentally as he was an expert swimmer. He alleged that Sharma and Mahanta poisoned the singer and “deliberately chose a foreign venue to conceal their conspiracy.” The document, signed by SIT member and Senior SP Rosie Kalita, also notes that Sharma allegedly stopped Goswami from sharing videos from the yacht on which the incident occurred.
Garg had travelled to Singapore to attend the 4th NorthEast India Festival, organised by Mahanta’s company. He reportedly died while swimming in the sea, but witnesses now claim the circumstances were suspicious. “During the critical moments when Shri Zubeen Garg was gasping for breath, Siddharth Sharma was heard shouting ‘Jabo de, jabo de’ (let him go, let him go),” the note revealed.
The Assam CID’s nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) is currently probing the case, and the Assam government has appointed a one-man judicial commission to investigate the incident further. Sources within the CID have confirmed the authenticity of the remand note.
The document also highlights that Sharma had allegedly taken control of the yacht from its sailor, causing it to wobble dangerously mid-sea. When Garg began frothing from the mouth and nose, Sharma dismissed it as “acid reflux,” failing to provide medical help.
Investigators claim to have recovered “material evidence,” including financial documents and witness statements, that prima facie establish Sharma’s culpability.
The case has sent shockwaves across Assam and the Indian music fraternity, as Zubeen Garg was one of the most celebrated cultural icons of the Northeast.