Zubeen Garg case: Family demands justice and answers

Late singer Zubeen Garg’s wife and sister have both spoken out publicly, demanding answers regarding the circumstances surrounding his untimely death in Singapore last month.

Garima Saikia Garg, Zubeen’s wife, expressed her grief in an emotional post on Facebook, calling for clarity over what led to the singer’s passing.

“We will be together again, very soon, Goldie,” she wrote, referring to the nickname used by his family.

“But for now, I need to know why you left us so suddenly. This question haunts my empty heart day and night. I want an answer,” she added.

His sister, Palmee Borthakur, also posted on social media, stating, “You’ll call me ‘Momon’ again… when we meet on the other side. Until then, we have only one purpose — to get justice for you.”

Borthakur also appealed to the public for mental support in their pursuit of truth and justice.

Garima returned the second post-mortem report of Zubeen’s body to the authorities on 4 October. The examination was conducted at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. She stated that the document was not a 'personal record' and that investigators were best placed to determine whether it should be released publicly.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was one of the first to call for a probe, had however said on 6 October, Monday, that the post-mortem report could not be disclosed due to legal constraints, although a certified copy could be obtained through the court.

Police investigations into Garg’s death, which occurred while he was swimming in the sea near Singapore on 19 September, have led to multiple arrests. Among those detained are his manager Siddhartha Sharma, fellow musician Shekharjyoti Goswami, singer Amritprava Mahanta and Shyamkanu Mahanta, organiser of the North East India Festival.

Over 60 FIRs have been filed across Assam against Mahanta, Sharma and others, prompting the chief minister to instruct the director general of police (DGP) to hand over the cases to the CID.

A consolidated case is now being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta.

As part of the investigation, the SIT issued summons to several individuals connected to Garg, including eight members of the Assam Association of Singapore, who were reportedly with him on the yacht during his final moments — which may be critical information, given claims of poisoning and

They were instructed to appear before the SIT by 6 October, Monday. However, none had complied by the day’s end. One individual, Rupkamal Kalita, had informed the CID that he would present himself on 7 October, Tuesday, however.