Assam SIT Files Murder Charges Against Zubeen Garg Associates

A Special Investigation Team in Assam filed a chargesheet on December 12 in Guwahati's Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court, charging four associates of renowned Assamese singer Zubeen Garg with murder in connection with his death under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19.

Garg, 50, drowned while swimming in the sea during a yacht trip, a day before he was set to perform at the North East India Festival, an event organized with support from the Indian High Commission in Singapore and local associations. The 3,500-page document, submitted by SIT member Rosy Kalita amid tight security, accuses festival organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg's manager Siddhartha Sharma, and band members Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta of murder under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Three others face related charges: Garg's cousin and suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police Sandipan Garg with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya with criminal conspiracy and breach of trust for allegedly misappropriating funds.

The investigation stemmed from a family-filed FIR and involved questioning over 300...