Assam Police Service officer Sandipan Garg, cousin of late singer Zubeen Garg, was arrested
The case, initially registered for culpable homicide, now includes murder and conspiracy
The SIT is probing possible financial irregularities and poisoning, after one accused alleged a conspiracy.
A major development has occurred in the investigation into singer Zubeen Garg’s mysterious death in Singapore. The Assam Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday, September 8, 2025, arrested his cousin, Sandipan Garg, an Assam Police Service (APS) officer. This marks the fifth arrest in the ongoing probe.
According to officials, Sandipan Garg serves as Deputy Superintendent of Police (Law and Order) in Kamrup district. He was taken into custody after being interrogated for several days by the CID’s Special Investigation Team (SIT). He was arrested when he appeared at the CID office in Guwahati for questioning.
Special DGP (CID) Munna Prasad Gupta confirmed the arrest. He told PTI, “We have arrested Sandipan Garg, and he will be produced before the court. The investigation is ongoing.” The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court in Kamrup (Metropolitan) has sent him to seven days of police custody, though the SIT had sought a 14-day remand.
Sandipan had accompanied Zubeen Garg to Singapore for the North East India Festival. He was present on the yacht when the 52-year-old singer drowned while swimming on September 19, 2025. This was said to be the officer’s first foreign trip. Sandipan also brought back some of the late singer’s belongings to India after the incident.
Earlier, the SIT had arrested four others in the case — event organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Zubeen’s manager Siddharth Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, and singer Amritprava Mahanta. All are currently in CID custody.
The CID initially registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence. Later, the CID added the charge of murder after discovering fresh evidence. The investigation is also examining possible financial irregularities, following the recovery of incriminating documents from Mahanta’s Guwahati residence.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated earlier this week that central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax Department may soon join the probe. He also confirmed that eight of the eleven people who were on the yacht with Zubeen had been summoned by the SIT, though several have yet to appear.
The SIT has been interrogating Rupkamal Kalita, a member of the Assam Association Singapore, which allegedly organised the yacht outing. Kalita has responded to the summons, while others remain unresponsive.
In a remand note revelation, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, Zubeen’s drummer, alleged that the singer was poisoned by his manager Siddharth Sharma and organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, claiming there was a “conspiracy.” The CID’s remand note mentions that Goswami saw Sharma shouting “Jabo de, jabo de” (“let him go”) while Zubeen struggled in the water. He also stated that Zubeen was a trained swimmer.
Zubeen Garg, celebrated for hits like “Ya Ali” and “Mission China,” was in Singapore to perform at the North East India Festival when he died under suspicious circumstances. His wife, Garima Saikia Garg, has raised concerns over the Singapore police’s post-mortem report, rejecting its conclusion of no foul play and demanding a thorough investigation. [Rh/Eth/VP]
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