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Five Arrested in Zubeen Garg Death Case Sent to Judicial Custody, Transferred to New Jail for Safety

On Wednesday, October 15, 2025, five individuals arrested in connection with the death of renowned singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore last month were remanded to...

Oct 15
2 min read
Five Arrested in Zubeen Garg Death Case Sent to Judicial Custody, Transferred to New Jail for Safety

On Wednesday, October 15, 2025, five individuals arrested in connection with the death of renowned singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore last month were remanded to judicial custody after the expiry of their police remand. The Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate issued the order, also directing that the accused be sent to a jail with fewer inmates for their safety.

Accused and Their Custody

The five sent to judicial custody include:

  • Shyamkanu Mahanta – Chief organiser of the North East India Festival (NEIF)

  • Siddhartha Sharma – Zubeen Garg’s manager

  • Sandipan Garg – Zubeen’s cousin and Assam Police DSP

  • Nandeswar Bora – Personal Security Officer (PSO)

  • Prabin Baishya – Personal Security Officer (PSO)

An official confirmed that all five were transferred to Baksa Jail in Mussalpur, inaugurated just two months ago, which currently has no other prisoners.

Timeline of Arrests and Charges

  • October 1, 2025: Mahanta and Sharma were arrested in Delhi. They were initially booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence. Murder charges were later added. Their 14-day police custody concluded on October 14.

  • October 8, 2025: Sandipan Garg was arrested. He had accompanied Zubeen to Singapore and was present on the yacht during the singer’s final moments. He was suspended from his post as co-district superintendent of police, Boko-Chaygaon, Kamrup district.

  • October 10, 2025: Zubeen’s two PSOs, Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya, were arrested and remanded to five-day police custody.

Additionally, two of Zubeen’s band members, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta, were arrested on October 3 and remanded to 14-day police custody.

Investigation and Broader Probes

The Assam Government had constituted a 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe Zubeen Garg’s death, which occurred in Singapore on September 19 due to drowning in the sea.

Over 60 FIRs have been filed across the state against Mahanta, Sharma, and others. Following this, the Assam Chief Minister directed the DGP to transfer all FIRs to the CID and register a consolidated case for a thorough investigation.

Separately, the CID has initiated a probe against Mahanta for alleged organised financial crimes, including money laundering and acquisition of benami properties.