Guwahati: Five individuals linked to the death of singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore last month have been sent to judicial custody following the conclusion of their police remand on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
The group includes North East India Festival (NEIF) chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma, his cousin and Assam Police officer Sandipan Garg, and his personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya.
The Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate ordered their transfer to judicial custody, also directing that they be housed in a facility with fewer inmates due to safety considerations. The accused have been sent to Baksa Jail at Mussalpur, which was inaugurated recently and currently has no prisoners.
Mahanta and Sharma were initially arrested in Delhi on October 1, 2025, in connection with Garg’s death in Singapore. They were booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence, with murder charges added subsequently. Their 14-day police remand ended on Tuesday, October 14.
Sandipan Garg, serving as DSP of Boko-Chaygaon in Kamrup district, was arrested on October 8 and suspended from his duties following his remand. He had accompanied the singer on the yacht in Singapore during the incident. Garg’s two personal security officers were taken into custody on October 10 for a five-day remand.
Earlier, two of Zubeen Garg’s band members, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta, were also arrested on October 3 and placed under 14-day police custody.
Meanwhile, the Assam CID has launched a separate investigation into Mahanta for alleged organised financial crimes, including money laundering and acquisition of properties through benami transactions.
The Assam government has set up a 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe Garg’s death, which occurred due to drowning in Singapore on September 19, 2025. Over 60 FIRs have been registered across the state against Mahanta, Sharma, and others. Following this, the Chief Minister directed the DGP to transfer all cases to the CID and consolidate them for a comprehensive investigation.
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