In a dramatic turn in the investigation into the mysterious death of music icon Zubeen Garg, Assam Police on Wednesday brought his long-time manager Siddharth Sharma and North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta to Guwahati after arresting them in Gurugram and Delhi.
Given the wave of public anger, both were whisked away from the airport under heavy security and produced before the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate, who sent them to a 14-day police remand. With courts closed for Durga Puja, the hearing was conducted at the judge’s residence. Sharma and Mahanta face charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence.
Munna Prasad Gupta, Special DGP (CID) and head of the nine-member SIT, told reporters that, acting on an Interpol alert, immigration officials at IGIA detained Mahanta soon after his return from Singapore. He was then handed over to a police team stationed in the capital. Sharma was tracked down in Gurugram.
Investigators also recovered Garg’s mobile phone, reportedly from Sharma’s possession, a key piece of evidence in the probe.
Assam DGP Harmeet Singh said, “There will be a final result in the case. Keep faith in us.”
Garg, 52, died under mysterious circumstances while swimming in Singapore on September 19, where he was attending the 4th North East India Festival. His sudden death raised questions about his final moments.
The arrests follow massive public outrage and mounting pressure on the Assam government. Over 60 FIRs have been filed across the state against Sharma, Mahanta, and others.
The government had set an October 6 deadline for the duo to surrender. Police froze Mahanta’s bank accounts and launched a separate probe into his alleged role in financial crimes.
For Garg’s family, the arrests brought some relief. His wife, Garima, during the 13th-day rituals in Jorhat, said: “We all want to know what happened to him in his last moments. I am confident that the probe will progress and the truth will come to light. We believe we will get justice soon.”
His sister, Palme Borthakur, echoed similar sentiment: “Now that the two have been arrested, we feel slightly better. Justice will be delivered.”