Zubeen Garg Death Case: Bail Pleas of All Accused to be heard on January 22

Guwahati: The fourth hearing in the death case of celebrated Assamese singer Zubeen Garg was held on Saturday, with the prosecution placing its arguments in detail before the court.

Lawyers appearing for the prosecution outlined their position and formally recorded their submissions during the proceedings.

After hearing the arguments, the court fixed January 22 as the next date of hearing. The court was also scheduled to take up the bail plea of accused Amritaprabha Mahanta on Saturday; however, the matter was deferred and will now be heard on the same date.

All seven accused appeared before the court virtually. It was noted that five advocates appointed by the state government represented the prosecution during the hearing.

The case is expected to resume later this month, when both the main matter and the pending bail application are likely to be considered.

Zubeen Garg, one of Assam’s most influential cultural icons, died in Singapore on 19th September 2025 at the age of 52 while on a yacht trip ahead of the North East India Festival. According to Singapore authorities, the singer drowned after going for a swim without a life jacket and later collapsing. Police there stated that he was intoxicated at the time and had declined safety gear, ruling out any foul play.

However, the incident triggered widespread grief and suspicion in Assam, with members of Garg’s family and the public questioning the circumstances surrounding his death. Subsequently, the Assam Police’s Criminal Investigation Department registered a case and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter independently.

The SIT arrested seven individuals linked to the event and Garg’s entourage, including NEIF organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, manager Siddharth Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, co-singer Amritaprabha Mahanta, Garg’s cousin and suspended DSP Sandipan Garg, and personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya.

The arrests were made as part of an investigation into alleged negligence, criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and murder.

All the accused were remanded to judicial custody in different jails across Assam. The case also saw heightened public tension, with clashes reported between supporters of the late singer and police during the transfer of the accused.

In December 2025, the SIT submitted a voluminous chargesheet before a Guwahati court, running into thousands of pages and citing forensic evidence, witness statements and investigation records. Serious charges, including murder, were pressed against four of the accused.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly maintained that the death should not be treated as an accident and has backed the SIT’s probe, while stressing that it is independent of the Singapore investigation. The state government has also appointed a special team of prosecutors to conduct the case.

Meanwhile, Zubeen Garg’s wife, Garima Saikia Garg, has sought active intervention from the authorities and diplomatic engagement to ensure transparency in the proceedings before the Singapore coroner’s court.

Her appeal highlights the continuing divergence between the findings of the Singapore police and the course of the investigation being pursued in Assam.

Also Read: PM Modi Flags Off India’s First Vande Bharat Sleeper Train, Boosting Guwahati–Kolkata Connectivity