The Gauhati High Court on Friday granted a petition to establish a Judicial Commission to supervise the investigation into the sudden demise of renowned Assamese singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore.
This development follows the Assam Criminal Investigation Department (CID) escalating the case by adding murder charges against two key suspects on Thursday.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the Judicial Commission, to be led by Justice Soumitra Saikia of the Gauhati High Court, will be formally constituted on Saturday. The commission aims to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation to deliver justice for the iconic singer.
In a statement, Chief Minister Sarma revealed that the post-mortem report conducted in Singapore has been shared with Zubeen Garg’s wife, Garima Saikia Garg. A second post-mortem, performed at Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH), will be handed over to her on Saturday.
“Garima will decide whether to disclose the post-mortem findings to the public. Both reports will also be submitted to the court,” Sarma said in a video posted on social media.
The Assam police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested four individuals linked to Zubeen Garg’s death. The suspects include Shyamkanu Mahanta, the organizer of the Northeast India Festival, apprehended at Delhi airport; Siddhartha Sharma, Zubeen’s manager, detained in Gurgaon; and musicians Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta, arrested earlier this week. All four are currently in 14-day police custody for questioning.
Zubeen Garg, aged 52, passed away on September 19 during a yacht outing in Singapore while attending the Northeast India Festival. Reports confirm that Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta were present during the outing when the incident occurred.
The singer’s untimely death sparked widespread outrage in Assam, with multiple complaints alleging negligence by the event organizers and those accompanying him. The CID initially registered a case under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and death by negligence. The addition of murder charges marks a significant escalation in the investigation.
