Conspiracy claims swirl as Zubeen’s manager and festival organizer face FIRs alleging foul play behind the singer’s tragic demise abroad.
BY PC Bureau
September 20: The Assam CID will investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of popular singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Friday that all First Information Reports (FIRs) filed in connection with the case would be transferred to the CID and consolidated into a single probe for a thorough inquiry.
“I want to make it clear that Zubeen Garg had come on his own free will. There are videos circulating on social media claiming he had already performed in Singapore, which is not true. Our event was scheduled to begin on Friday, and he had not participated in any programme before the mishap occurred,” Sarma said.
The Chief Minister added that he has spoken to Singapore’s High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, and requested a detailed inquiry into the singer’s death.
The first FIR was registered at Morigaon police station against North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and Zubeen’s manager Siddhartha Sharma. The complaint alleged that the two, “as part of a conspiracy, took Zubeen to a foreign country on the pretext of singing but with the motive to kill him.”
READ: Was Zubeen’s Death Concealed for Hours to Serve Business Interests?
Meanwhile, the Assam government has declared state mourning from September 20 to 22. During this period, no official entertainment programmes, dinners, or ceremonial functions will be held.
Popular Assamese singer #ZubeenGarg died in #Singapore due to a scuba diving mishap on September 18. Now, a video has surfaced capturing the 52-year-old singer’s last moments right before the tragedy. In the viral video, Garg is seen adjusting his jacket and leaping into the sea. pic.twitter.com/TouN3UmQJA
— DT Next (@dt_next) September 20, 2025
Controversy Over Alleged Cover-Up
The sudden death of Zubeen Garg has snowballed into a storm of allegations and outrage. While fans across Assam and the Northeast mourn the loss of their beloved artist, senior journalist Paragmoni Aditya has alleged a deliberate cover-up by festival organisers, members of the Assam Association Singapore, and the singer’s manager.
In a viral Facebook post, Aditya claimed that news of Zubeen’s death at Singapore General Hospital was suppressed for eight to nine hours while key organisers of the North East Festival continued with a scheduled business summit.
He alleged that instead of rushing to the hospital or alerting fans and family, the organisers chose to “prioritise profit over humanity.” According to him, event promoter Shyamkanu Mahanta carried on with the summit even after Zubeen’s condition had turned critical, and later misled the Assamese media by assuring them that “nothing special had happened” until around 3 PM.
Aditya further claimed that the festival, marketed as a cultural platform, had also been used for private parties and overworked schedules that left Zubeen exhausted in the days leading up to the tragedy.
