Guwahati: Zubeen Garg’s uncle and senior journalist Manoj Kumar Borthakur, who recently attended the first hearing of the case related to the mysterious death of the legendary singer-composer at the Coroner’s Court in Singapore, on Sunday said that justice could be delivered to Zubeen only by the court handling the case in Assam.
“While the Singaporean investigators are more concerned about the place of occurrence or how and why the death of Zubeen happened, it’s the court in Assam that can actually deliver justice to him. The family of Zubeen will respect the verdict of the court in Assam,” Borthakur, who hails from Sivasagar, told this reporter on Sunday.
Borthakur observed that the case of Zubeen’s death should be pursued in Assam separately from the trial of the one in Singapore.
The Singapore Police told the Coroner’s Court on January 14 that the death of Zubeen Garg was not a case of murder. It said that Zubeen died from drowning while swimming in waters near Lazarus Island on September 19 last year, a day before he was supposed to perform at the Northeast India Festival in Singapore.
The Singapore Police also said Zubeen was severely intoxicated when he drowned. However, the Assam Special Investigation Team (SIT), in its nearly 12,000-page chargesheet submitted to the Guwahati-based Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate on December 12, 2025, charged four accused — Northeast India Festival chief organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta, Zubeen’s manager Siddarth Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, and co-singer Amritprava Mahanta — with murder, common intention, and criminal conspiracy under Sections 103, 3, and 61 of the Bharatiya Naya Sanhita.
When asked what kind of justice the family of Zubeen wanted for the iconic singer, Manoj Kumar Borthakur said, “We want appropriate punishment to the guilty as per the law.”
Borthakur represented the family of Zubeen Garg during the hearing of the case at the Coroner’s Court in Singapore on January 14. Borthakur was also accompanied by Rahul Gautam Sharma, a distant cousin of Zubeen.
According to Borthakur, Singapore’s State Coroner Adam Nakhoda first expressed sincere condolences to the family of Zubeen, especially the late artiste’s wife Garima Saikia Garg. He then asked them (Borthakur and Sharma) if they wished to submit any written statements.
Borthakur read out a statement in court and sought clarity on the events that led to Zubeen’s death, including whether the celebrated singer entered the waters of his own accord or if he was encouraged to do so.
Both Borthakur and Sharma pleaded with the court to furnish them with a detailed account of the events in Singapore involving Zubeen Garg from Day 1 to 3 in a chronological manner.
They also appealed to the court for provision of the visuals related to the incident of Zubeen’s death that were available with the Singapore authorities. They further requested the court to ensure all the residents of Singapore who were involved in the incident were brought to trial.
Borthakur said five witnesses gave their statements to the judge and also answered queries from advocates. Among them were chief investigating officer David Lim; pathologist Dr Chan Shijia; the captain of the yacht that Zubeen and 15 others boarded at Marina at Keppel Bay around 2 pm on September 19 last; a crew member; and Assamese expatriate Rupkamal Kalita.
The chief investigating officer, in his statement, said that Zubeen Garg refused to wear life jacket despite warnings from others and jumped into the water in an inebriated state.
The witnesses testified that Zubeen was pulled out from the sea when he looked exh…