Guwahati, Oct 28 Family members of Zubeen Garg on Wednesday urged Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya to ensure effective prosecution, oppose bail applications of the accused and expedite the trial in the singer’s death case.
Garg’s wife, Garima Saikia Garg, and sister, Palme Borthakur, met the governor at Lok Bhavan and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention.
The celebrated singer died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19, 2025, while swimming in the sea. He had travelled to the Southeast Asian country to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival (NEIF).
In the memorandum, the family said that while the state government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the investigating agency had filed its charge sheet, the case had entered a crucial stage of judicial proceedings requiring sustained commitment and prompt legal action.
The recent grant of bail by the Gauhati High Court to two accused had caused “considerable anguish and apprehension” within the family, it said.
The family, accompanied by prominent personalities from the Assamese film industry, said it respected judicial independence but urged the state government to challenge bail orders before a higher forum wherever sufficient legal grounds existed.
“The Government of Assam has stated its intention to challenge the recent bail orders before the Supreme Court. We earnestly expect that this decision will be translated into prompt and effective legal action,” the memorandum said.
NEIF chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma, band members Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta, his cousin and suspended Assam Police DSP Sandipon Garg, and his personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya were arrested in connection with the case.
Expressing particular concern over the bail applications of Mahanta and Sharma, against whom serious allegations had been levelled, the family urged the government to take every legally permissible step to oppose their pleas and challenge bail orders already granted without avoidable delay.
The memorandum also called for a unified prosecution coordination mechanism under the Assam Advocate General to monitor proceedings before the designated fast-track court, the Gauhati High Court and the Supreme Court. It sought timely filing of appeals and better coordination between the investigating agency and the prosecution.
The family further sought measures to strengthen the prosecution, including the proper presentation of documentary, forensic and digital evidence, protection of witnesses and prevention of interference with evidence.
It urged the government to extend all necessary support to ensure a fair, thorough and expeditious trial before the designated fast-track court.
The memorandum also flagged reports of alleged financial irregularities and suspected criminal activities involving some of the accused. These included the reported recovery of official seals and stamps of government departments, multiple PAN cards, and allegations of misappropriation of Garg’s earnings and diversion of funds.
The family requested that all such allegations be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.
“Justice for Zubeen should transcend political differences and remain a shared commitment to truth, fairness and the rule of law,” the memorandum said, adding that the appeal was not directed against any individual or institution and did not seek to interfere with the independent functioning of the judiciary.
The family also urged that the collective demand for justice remain peaceful and dignified, without any activity that could undermine the judicial process.
Mahanta faces charges under eight sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), while seven charges have been listed against Sharma. Goswami and Amritprava face six charges each, Bora and Baishya face two each, and Sandipon Garg faces one charge.
The accused were booked under various provisions of the BNS relating to murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy and causing death by negligence.
Sandipon Garg and Amritprava Mahanta have already secured bail and were released from jail earlier this month.
The Assam Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) constituted an SIT to investigate the singer’s death after more than 60 FIRs were lodged across the state.
The Singapore Police Force, which conducted a separate investigation, concluded that there was no evidence of foul play.
A Coroner’s Court in Singapore also ruled out foul play, stating that the singer-songwriter was severely intoxicated and had drowned off Lazarus Island after declining a life jacket.
Authorities in Assam, however, maintained that the findings of the Singapore investigation would not affect the case in the state.
(PTI News)
