Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta have been arrested in Delhi. The police said both are under investigation in connection with Garg’s death. The singer drowned in the sea in Singapore on September 19 while swimming without a life jacket.
Arrests and Custody
Mahanta was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi upon returning from Singapore. Sharma was taken into custody from an apartment in Gurugram, PTI reported. Both were brought to Guwahati early Wednesday morning for further investigation, a senior police officer said.
The Assam government had formed a 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Special DGP M P Gupta, to probe Garg’s death. The SIT issued notices to Mahanta, Sharma, members of the Singapore Assam Association, and others who attended the festival in Singapore. They were asked to record their statements.
Fan Reactions and Police Action
Earlier, fans of Zubeen Garg protested outside Sharma’s house in Guwahati. Clashes with police were reported during the demonstration. Another musician, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, who accompanied Garg on the yacht trip in Singapore, was also detained. Goswami is a long-time member of Garg’s band.
Police had searched for Mahanta and Sharma last week but could not locate them. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had issued an ultimatum, asking both to present themselves before the investigation team by October 6.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s Statement
“As the Durga Puja festival will begin, we don’t want them to come right now. But after Dashami, they have to come. They must come to Guwahati on October 6 and present their statements,” CM Sarma said in a Facebook Live video.
He added, “If they do not want to present themselves before the CID, which has been probing the incidents leading to Garg’s death by drowning in the sea in Singapore on September 19, they can approach the court.”
Zubeen Garg’s Death
Zubeen Garg passed away in Singapore, where he was scheduled to perform. His hospital-issued death certificate confirms drowning as the cause. CM Sarma said a postmortem will provide further details.
