Guwahati: A storm of controversy has erupted following the death of beloved Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, with senior journalist Paragmoni Aditya making explosive allegations of a massive cover-up.
In a widely shared Facebook post, journalist Paragmoni Aditya has made a series of explosive claims on social media, accusing organizers of the North East Festival, individuals from the Assam Association Singapore, and Zubeen’s own manager of concealing the truth for several hours and prioritizing private events over the artist’s well-being.
According to the journalist’s detailed account, news of Zubeen’s death was reportedly kept hidden for at least eight to nine hours. While the artist’s body was allegedly at Singapore General Hospital, North East Festival organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta was reportedly holding a business summit. Aditya claims that the summit continued even after the tragic news was known and that Mahanta did not consider it a priority to go to the hospital.
The allegations suggest that instead of acting with urgency, a coordinated effort was made to mislead the media in Assam.
Aditya writes that “organizers tried to mislead the media in Assam by giving the impression that ‘nothing special happened’ until around 3 PM.” He alleges that Zubeen’s manager, Siddharth Sharma, who, after informing a few people in Guwahati, instructed them to remain silent.
The journalist also questions the events leading up to Zubeen’s death. Aditya’s post paints a picture of Zubeen being overworked and pushed into a demanding schedule without adequate rest. He alleged that the fatal yacht trip was a private beach party for a few expatriate Assamese, organized by Upamanyu Talukdar and Siddharth Sharma, and was not a socially responsible event. The journalist claims that the name of the Singapore Assam Association was used to lend legitimacy to what was, in fact, a private affair.
The journalist’s allegations suggest that after a late concert and party on Thursday night, Zubeen was taken on the yacht trip early the next morning, leaving him with little to no time to recover. It is further claimed that every member of the Singapore Assam Association understood the gravity of the situation after the first CPR attempt failed but then engaged in “misleading propaganda” to distort the incident.
He also claims that guests from Assam attending the festival were fed false information about Zubeen’s condition until the news became public.
The journalist ends his post with a powerful call for action, stating that the sensitive nature of these allegations necessitates a “full investigation. Journalist Aditya specifies three parties that must be held accountable: the organizers of the North East Festival, certain people from the Assam Association Singapore, and Zubeen’s manager Siddharth Sharma.
The post asserts that this matter cannot be ignored and that those responsible for handling Zubeen Garg’s final hours and the subsequent alleged concealment of the truth must be held accountable.