Zubeen Garg Death Probe: Manager Siddharth and NEIF Organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta Arrested, Flown to Guwahati

Guwahati, Oct 1: In a major development in the investigation into the death of Assam’s music legend Zubeen Garg, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Assam Police on Wednesday arrested his manager Siddharth Sharma and North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta.

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The two were apprehended in Delhi and brought to Guwahati under heavy security early this morning, as public demand for justice continues to intensify across the state.

Zubeen Garg, 52, tragically passed away on September 19 in Singapore, reportedly after drowning during a yacht outing organised by the Singapore Assam Association. According to early reports, he lost consciousness in the water during the incident.

The arrests come amid rising public outrage and over 55 FIRs filed across Assam, alleging serious offences including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal negligence, and conspiracy.

The Assam government earlier constituted a Special Investigation Team led by Special DGP M. P. Gupta, tasked with reconstructing the final hours leading to Garg’s death. The team has been closely examining festival organisers, associates, and other individuals present on the yacht that day.

Adding an international dimension to the probe, the government has also invoked the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Singapore, a legal framework enabling cross-border cooperation to access documents, evidence, and witness statements from Singapore authorities.

“With the two primary suspects now in custody, the investigation will enter a more intensive phase focused on motive, negligence, and accountability,” a senior SIT official told Our Guwahati.

Zubeen Garg’s untimely death has sent shockwaves across Assam and the entire Northeast, uniting millions in grief and demanding answers. The arrests of Sharma and Mahanta mark a turning point in what has become one of the most closely watched investigations in the region’s recent history.