Zubeen Garg passed away in a scuba diving accident on September 19. The singer’s death circumstances have sparked suspicion, with the Assam Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) raiding the houses of Northeast India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and longtime manager Siddharth Sharma.
Zubeen Garg’s manager has now broken his silence and addressed the claims about the late singer’s catalogue ownership and earnings from his creative work. Siddharth has shared a letter posted on his Facebook and shared his side of the story.
He started his letter writing, “Assam has always been, and will always remain, my home. The people who gave me love, respect, and livelihood are now hurt, and I share their pain.”
Siddharth also clarified that his silence has been misunderstood and that he has nothing to hide. He wrote, “Some people believe that if I do not speak or return immediately, it must mean I have done something wrong. That is why I am writing this letter. I want to tell everyone that I have nothing to hide.”
He added, “I am not running away. As soon as there is an assurance of my safety and a fair opportunity to present the facts, I will come to Guwahati and place my side before the SIT and before the people.”
Siddharth then recalled the tragic scuba diving accident in which Zubeen Garg died. He noted that he was with the late singer in Singapore for the North-East Festival. He added, “I was with him before and after the incident, tried everything to get him help, and then arranged to bring him home to India.”
Siddharth further noted that the media projected him as a culprit, leading to death threats and abuse. He was heartbroken by the loss and his inability to attend the rituals. He also mentioned his shock over the false rumours and accusations of negligence and financial deceit.
He wrote, “The truth is that most of the 38,000 songs recorded by him are owned entirely by other music labels and production houses. He himself never received money from them, apart from a few thousand rupees as one-time singing fees. Most of these songs, including almost all of his hit songs, were recorded before I was even present in his life.”
The manager recalled, “Zubeen da often told me how people had misused him — how, even after his songs earned crores of rupees, he never received any royalty from producers or music labels of Assam. Anyone can verify this by checking with those producers and labels directly.”
He further explained that Zubeen Garg LLP was launched in the first place to protect ownership of his songs.
Siddharth continued, “In 2021, he wanted to at least retain ownership of some of his later works, and that is why Zubeen Garg Music LLP was formed. This is the first and only business we ever partnered with. We have released over 20 songs under this entity, with a total investment of about Rs 10 lakhs, of which Zubeen da invested Rs 6 lakhs."
"The revenue from these songs is only a few thousand dollars every month. Every rupee goes into the company account, and no one has ever withdrawn a single penny. Zubeen da owned 60% of the LLP, and it will be my privilege to ensure that the remaining balance is also transferred to his family," added Siddharth.
The manager further elaborated that he is ready to "account for every rupee in front of the authorities and his family".
He said, "As soon as there is an assurance of my safety and a fair opportunity to present the facts, I will come to Guwahati and place my side before the SIT and before the people. The media quickly began projecting me as a culprit, and I started receiving death threats, hate messages, and abuse. Friends and family urged me not to come to Guwahati, and I had to stay back in Delhi."
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
