Guwahati: One year after the death of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s promise that the singer would get “100% justice” is yet to reach its final destination, while the grand memorial promised in his name at Kamarkuchi, Sonapur on outskirts of Guwahati remains largely confined to a boundary wall.
When Zubeen died in Singapore on September 19, 2025, the Assam government moved quickly to take charge of the public grief surrounding his death. But the speed with which promises were made has not been matched by the pace at which they have been fulfilled.
On September 27, 2025, barely days after Zubeen’s death, Assam CM Sarma made an unusually direct political commitment.
“The day I will fail to give justice to Zubeen, the public can punish me. If we cannot give justice to Zubeen, why would people vote for us in 2026? That is a fact we must all accept,” Sarma said during a live interaction.
On October 22, he went further, promising a fast-track court and daily hearings. “Zubeen will get 100% justice; this is my resolution,” Sarma said, according to the statements cited in the government’s public messaging.
A day later, on October 23, he said the Assam government would take every necessary step to establish the truth, even if that meant travelling to Singapore.
But after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed its chargesheet, the Chief Minister’s language changed. On December 12, after the SIT filed its chargesheet, Sarma said the government had fulfilled its responsibility and that the matter was now before the judiciary.
“It is now up to the court to deliver justice,” he said. The government, he added, had full faith in the judicial system.
That shift matters because the original promise was not merely to investigate the death or file a chargesheet. It was an assurance that justice would be delivered swiftly.
From “100% justice” to an unfinished trial
The chargesheet ran to thousands of pages. It charged four of the seven accused with murder: festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and singer Amritprabha Mahanta. Garg’s cousin Sandipan Garg, then an Assam Police officer, faces a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Two personal security officers face other charges, including criminal breach of trust.
After the Gauhati High Court cleared the way for an exclusive fast-track court, charges were framed against all seven in May 2026. All pleaded not guilty. Day-to-day hearings began in June, and witnesses, including some from Singapore, have deposed. Bail pleas by some accused have been rejected or remain pending, including one before the Supreme Court. A separate judicial commission headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia is also inquiring into the death.
The case rests on two conflicting conclusions. In March 2026, a Singapore coroner ruled that Garg died of accidental drowning and found no evidence of foul play. Singapore authorities linked the drowning to a high blood alcohol level. Sarma has repeatedly called the death “plain and simple murder,” including in the Assembly in November 2025.
A chargesheet, framing of charges and a fast-track court are steps towards justice, but none is a verdict. That can come only from the court after a full trial.
Questions over the yacht witnesses
About 20 people were on the yacht, among them members of the Assam Association Singapore and other Assamese residents of Singapore. The SIT summoned around 11 of them as eyewitnesses. At least 10 travelled to Assam and recorded statements in October 2025. Several, including Parikshit Sharma, Sushmita Goswami, Pratim Bhuyan and Debojyoti Hazarika, have since testified in court.
All have been treated as witnesses, not accused. That has prompted questions in public discussion, since some of them were involved in organising the outing and all were present at the time. Whether anyone else bears responsibility is for the investigating agency and the court to decide on evidence. No such finding has been made.
A memorial waiting to be built
On September 21, 2025, the Cabinet allotted 10 bighas at Kamarkuchi for Zubeen’s last rites and a permanent memorial, now called Zubeen Kshetra. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Public Works Department (PWD) would prepare a design and that “once the PWD submits its plan and it is approved, construction will begin immediately.”
Nearly a year on, the main visible work is a boundary wall costing about Rs 3 crore, with measures planned against landslides from the nearby hills. When Sarma visited the site in May 2026, he asked officials to speed up work. The site functions as an open place of remembrance rather than a completed monument.
Many social media users have questioned the pace. “If the government can complete a flyover in less than a year, why can’t it even start the memorial?” one asked. Others have accused the government of reluctance. The Assam government has not said what is holding up the next phase.