Following the death of renowned Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, the police have initiated continuous action. Assam Police announced the arrest of Siddhartha Sharma, the singer’s manager, and Shyamkanu Mahanta, the chief organizer of a festival, from Delhi on Wednesday morning. A senior police officer revealed that both individuals have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (BNS), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence.
After their arrest, the accused were brought to Guwahati and presented before the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court, where they were remanded to 14 days of police custody. Due to Durga Puja, the court was closed, and the hearing took place at the judge’s residence. Special DGP (CID) Munna Prasad Gupta stated that the investigation into Zubeen Garg’s death would be conducted “according to the law.” Munna Prasad, the head of the SIT formed to investigate Garg’s death, confirmed that both have been sent to 14 days of police custody. He also mentioned that an Interpol “lookout notice” had already been issued against them. Based on the notice, immigration officials detained Shyamkanu Mahanta upon his arrival at the Delhi airport from Singapore and handed him over to the Assam Police.
The Special DGP further added that Sharma’s location was tracked in Delhi and Rajasthan. He was arrested near the Delhi-Haryana border. Police have seized their mobile phones, including Zubeen Garg’s phone. Police sources shared images of Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma behind bars at the CID office. Tight security was present during the journey to the airport and the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s residence, with Assam Police and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) accompanying the convoy. Meanwhile, the state government has recently imposed a ban on Shyamkanu Mahanta, the chief organizer of the Northeast Festival, from organizing any events or programs in the state.
Zubeen Garg was in Singapore before his death to attend the festival. Zubeen’s wife, Garima Saikia Garg, who is in Jorhat for the singer’s 13th-day ceremony, expressed her satisfaction that both were brought to Assam, as they are all waiting to know what happened to him in his last moments. Garima Garg said she has full faith in the investigation team and hopes to know soon what exactly happened in Singapore. The Assam government had constituted a 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) last month to investigate the singer’s death in Singapore on September 19 due to drowning.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier stated that a ‘lookout notice’ had been issued against Mahanta and Sharma through Interpol, asking them to appear before the CID by October 6.