According to a police remand note, Zubeen Garg’s bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami alleged the singer was poisoned in Singapore by his manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta.
Garg reportedly died while swimming during the NorthEast India Festival; Goswami claimed the death was staged as an accident and that key evidence was suppressed.
Zubeen Garg’s bandmate, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, has put forth allegations that the singer was poisoned in Singapore, according to official police documents.
According to the 'Detailed Grounds of Arrest' or remand note obtained by PTI, Goswami claimed that Garg was poisoned by his manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta in Singapore.
In this case, the festival organiser, Garg's manager, and two band members, Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta, were taken into custody and placed under police remand for 14 days.
Garg died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore while swimming in the sea. He had gone to the Southeast Asian nation to attend the 4th edition of the NorthEast India Festival, organised by Shyamkanu Mahanta and his company.
"During the critical moments when Shri Zubeen Garg was gasping for breath, almost drowning, Siddharth Sharma was heard shouting 'Jabo de, jabo de' (let him go, let him go). The witness emphasised that Zubeen Garg was an expert swimmer... and therefore, could not have died due to drowning.
"He (Goswami) alleged that Shri Sharma and Shri Shyamkanu Mahanta had poisoned the victim and deliberately chosen a foreign venue to conceal their conspiracy. Shri Sharma also instructed him not to share the yacht videos with anyone," stated the note, signed by SIT member and senior SP Rosie Kalita.
The CID's Special Investigation Team (SIT), consisting of nine members, is presently looking into Garg's death in Singapore. A one-person judicial commission has also been established by the Assam government to look into the matter.
The authenticity of the remand note has been verified by CID sources.
Shyamkanu Mahanta is the younger brother of former DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, who is presently the chief information commissioner of the Assam State Information Commission. Another brother of the festival organiser is Nani Gopal Mahanta, who was the education advisor to the CM before becoming the vice chancellor of Gauhati University.
"The statement of witness Shri Shekhar Jyoti Goswami... revealed that before the death of Zubeen Garg, a conspiracy was formulated to portray his death as accidental. He stated that Shri Siddharth Sharma, who stayed with him... in Singapore, had displayed suspicious conduct," the note said.
According to the paper, which quoted Goswami, Sharma seized the yacht from its sailor by force, putting all of the guests at risk as it wobbled dangerously in mid-sea.
When Garg was frothing at the mouth and nose, Sharma dismissed it as acid reflux and assured others that there was nothing to worry about, "instead of providing necessary medical facilities", the remand note said.
"Material evidence collected during investigation, including documentary records, financial transactions, and witness statements, prima facie establishes his (Sharma's) culpability," the 'Detailed Grounds of Arrest' stated.
With PTI inputs.
