SIT Files Charge Sheet in Zubeen Garg Case, Seven Close Associates Accused of Murder Conspiracy

In a landmark development that has shaken Assam’s cultural and political landscape, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Assam Police on Friday filed an exhaustive charge sheet in the premeditated murder of beloved singer-composer Zubeen Garg before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (Metro), formally accusing seven individuals from his inner circle of orchestrating his death.

The meticulously prepared document, submitted after nearly three months of relentless investigation, draws from statements of over 300 witnesses, including members of the Assamese diaspora in Singapore who provided crucial insights into the events surrounding the 52-year-old icon’s final hours. The accused include North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, personal manager Siddharth Sharma, cousin and Deputy Superintendent of Police Sandipan Garg, security personnel Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya, longtime bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, and singer Amritprabha Mahanta.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has publicly declared the case a “plain and simple murder,” revealing that one individual executed the act while the others facilitated the crime. He disclosed that investigators uncovered a “big story” — a deep-seated conspiracy rooted in financial disputes that originated well before the COVID-19 pandemic, involving substantial monetary irregularities that allegedly threatened to expose the perpetrators.

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The tragedy unfolded on September 19 when Garg mysteriously drowned during a swimming outing in Singapore’s waters, where he had arrived as the star attraction for the festival. From the outset, authorities treated the death with suspicion: an FIR was immediately registered under sections for criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, and negligence, but within 48 hours — following compelling preliminary evidence — the case was upgraded to murder after the court accepted the state’s plea to invoke the relevant provision.

With irrefutable evidence now presented in court, Sarma emphasised that the SIT was instructed to prioritise the murder charge sheet to secure convictions before broadening the probe into ancillary financial crimes. As Assam mourns its greatest musical ambassador, the filing marks the beginning of a high-stakes trial that promises to unravel decades of hidden rivalries and betrayals within the state’s glittering entertainment fraternity.

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