Guwahati: Zubeen Garg’s bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami has alleged that Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta may have poisoned the singer and tried to make his death look accidental.
Goswami told investigators, under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), that Sharma’s behavior in the hours before Garg’s death in Singapore was suspicious.
Sharma faces serious non-bailable charges, including criminal conspiracy, murder, and culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Goswami said that during the yacht trip where Garg died, Sharma took control of the yacht from the sailor, making it unstable, and instructed NRI Tanmoy Phukan not to provide drinks, claiming he alone would supply them.
He also alleged that Sharma shouted “Jabo de, jabo de” (“let him go, let him go”) while Garg was struggling, and that Garg, a trained swimmer, could not have drowned accidentally.
He further claimed that Sharma and Mahanta poisoned Garg and chose Singapore to cover up the act.
Goswami said Sharma told him not to share any yacht videos and dismissed Garg’s condition as “acid reflux,” delaying medical help.
Both Sharma and Mahanta deny the allegations.
Investigators say evidence, including documents, financial records, and witness statements, suggests Sharma’s involvement.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax Department may join Assam Police in investigating alleged financial crimes and benami property acquisitions by Mahanta.
The CID also found financial irregularities allegedly committed by Mahanta more than 20 years ago during his job at a non-banking financial company.
Officials from ED and I-T have already visited the CID headquarters to examine the case.