Zubeen Garg’s cousin, Assam police officer, arrested in investigation into singer’s death

Assam Police’s special investigation team (SIT) of the criminal investigation department (CID) on Wednesday arrested Sandipan Garg, a cousin of Zubeen Garg and an Assam Police Service officer, in connection with the singer’s death last month in Singapore. Sandipan, currently posted as deputy superintendent (law and order) in Kamrup district, has been sent to seven days of police custody by the chief judicial magistrate of Kamrup (Metropolitan) district.

Sandipan had accompanied Garg to Singapore and was present at the scene when the 52-year-old singer, composer, poet, actor, and filmmaker died while swimming in the sea on September 19. This marks the fifth arrest in the ongoing investigation. Sandipan had been questioned by the CID for four days before the decision to arrest him. He is the son of Garg’s paternal uncle. “Today we arrested Sandipan following his interrogation. Since an investigation is underway, I can’t reveal more than that. He will be produced in court and we will seek police custody,” said MP Gupta, special DGP of CID Assam Police, who is leading the 10-member SIT.

Earlier arrests in the case include Shyamkanu Mahanta, organiser of the North East India Festival (NEIF) in Singapore which Garg had attended, the singer’s manager Siddharth Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, and singer Amritprava Mahanta. All four are currently in CID custody.

Following Garg’s death at a yacht party organised by a few Assamese NRIs in Singapore under suspicious circumstances, the CID initially registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and death due to negligence. Subsequent investigations and interrogations led to the addition of murder charges against the arrested individuals.

A separate case was also registered against Shyamkanu Mahanta for alleged financial irregularities after the recovery of several seals and incriminating documents from his Guwahati residence.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax department, are likely to conduct raids at Mahanta’s office and residence as part of the investigation.