Police files chargesheet in Zubeen Garg's death: 'Was instigated to venture into sea, not enough done to save him'

The 52-year-old Assamese singer died while swimming in a sea during a yacht trip in Singapore on September 19.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Assam Police probing the death of singer Zubeen Garg submitted a chargesheet in a Guwahati court last week.

The 52-year-old Assamese singer died while swimming in a sea during a yacht trip in Singapore on September 19. He was in Singapore to participate in the North East India Festival (NEIF).

The SIT submitted a comprehensive 12,000-page chargesheet, including 8,698 pages of supporting documents, before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of the Guwahati court earlier on Friday. During the probe, Zubeen’s secretary Siddhartha Sharma, festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, and band members Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta were charged with murder.

The chargesheet has brought to light additional allegations, such as the singer being encouraged to venture into the sea while intoxicated and his acquaintances not doing enough to save him, according to a report by News18.

Zubeen Garg’s two personal security officers, Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya, were charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust for allegedly misappropriating entrusted funds or property.

Before the event, the singer reportedly went for a yacht outing with members of the Assam Association Singapore and lost consciousness while swimming. He was declared dead at Singapore General Hospital. Authorities in Singapore said the cause of death was drowning, while the Assam Police found that he was intoxicated at the time.

His manager, Siddhartha Sharma, has been accused of “causing the state of intoxication" which impaired his coordination and reflexes and “causing him to swim without a life jacket," according to a report by The Indian Express.

This was despite Zubeen being advised by his doctor to stay away from water and fire. The chargesheet also says that the singer had a history of epilepsy.

Shyamkanu Mahanta was accused of giving Zubeen a bottle of whiskey “against medical advice" and not informing the organisers of the yacht party of his medical condition. He was also accused of not making timely arrangements that could have saved the singer’s life, and he was taken in an ambulance “75 minutes after the incident."

Additionally, drummer Shekhar Jyoti Goswami was accused of instigating Zubeen to go into the water and not saving him “despite being in the best position", as per the IE report.

Singer Amritprava Mahanta was accused of “causing excessive drinking of alcohol" and failing to inform Zubeen’s manager, organiser or wife that he was inebriated, food-deprived and sleep-deprived. Mahanta also allegedly encouraged Zubeen to swim without a life jacket. The SIT accused Sharma of “making plans to retire the victim and making financial gains out of him" and of “diversification" of the singer’s financial interests by investing in different ventures.

Zubeen’s cousin Sandipan Garg has been accused of “instigating Shekhar and therefore the victim to go into the water to swim a long distance to the beach" and “jumping in late to save the victim", The Indian Express learnt. The two cops named in the FIR were accused of “dishonestly misappropriating" Zubeen’s property and “converting the same to their own use."