Zubeen Garg's death | Was it a mishap or murder? Investigators want access to evidence in Singapore

Assam government formed a nine-member SIT under the CID days after the 52-year-old singer died while swimming with friends and associates in Singapore on September 19.

Guwahati: Did the star singer Zubeen Garg drown in the sea in Singapore or was it a murder? Investigators in Assam are not ruling out the murder angle as they wait for evidence in Singapore and the reports of the two post-mortems conducted on the cultural icon's body.

The mystery surrounding the exact cause leading to Zubeen's death deepened with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stating that the viscera samples are being examined to ascertain if the singer was poisoned to death.

"Be it a death or a murder, the investigators will go deeper into the reason and punish those responsible for the reasons leading to his untimely death," Sarma said on Saturday.

The state government formed a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the CID days after the 52-year-old singer, musician, actor and filmmaker died while swimming with friends and associates in Singapore on September 19.

Garg was in Singapore to take part in Northeast Festival organised by Shyamkanu Mahanta, an Assam-based entrepreneur and brother of former DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta.

As life came to complete halt in Assam following the iconic singer's sudden demise and his fans suspected foul play, the state government carried out the second post-mortem on Zubeen's body hours before cremation on September 23.

Many questioned why Zubeen was allowed to go to the sea despite his doctor's advice to keep him away from water and fire. The doctor's advice came as Garg was admitted to hospital with seizures earlier.

In her FIR, Garg's wife Garima on Sunday also questioned why the singer was allowed to go to the sea despite his health condition. She wanted investigation against all those who were with Zubeen during the incident.

Members of Assam Association Singapore had hired a yacht for a party on the sea in which his manager Siddarth Sharma and his associates were also present. There are also allegations of financial anomalies involving Sharma and Mahanta. Look out notices have been issued against the duo.

Access to Singapore

Two members of the SIT are likely to visit Singapore in connection with the case. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the state government wrote the MHA to invoke the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with Singapore.

"Once invoked, this will ensure full cooperation from Singaporean authorities--giving us access to case details and assistance to bring back the accused and secure justice," Sarma posted on X on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, several organisations including the influential All Assam Students' Union have launched a stir demanding immediate arrest of those found responsible for the iconic singer's untimely demise.