In the Zubeen Garg death case, Singapore Police have handed over the post-mortem report to the Indian High Commission. Zubeen died on September 19 while scuba diving in Singapore.
Meanwhile, Assam Police on Thursday arrested music composer Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and singer Amritprabha Mahanta in connection with the case. Both were part of Zubeen’s music team.
At the time of the incident, Goswami and Amritprabha were in Singapore and present at the spot. They were initially called in for questioning and were later arrested. With this, the total number of arrests in the case has gone up to four.
According to PTI sources, a police officer said: “We have found some evidence against them. Therefore, their arrest was necessary for further investigation.”
Media reports suggest that Goswami and Mahanta were with Zubeen at a yacht party in Singapore on September 19. According to SIT sources, video footage shows Goswami swimming very close to Zubeen, while Amritprabha was recording the entire incident on her mobile phone.
Earlier, Assam Police had also arrested Zubeen’s manager Siddharth Sharma and Shyamkanu Mahanta, the organizer of the North East India Festival in Singapore. Both were brought from Delhi to Guwahati on October 1.
Assam CID’s Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta said the court has sent both to 14-day police custody. He added that the investigation is underway and Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has now been added to the FIR. Section 103 deals with punishment for murder, providing for the death penalty or life imprisonment along with a fine.
Police said that Sharma and Mahanta were earlier booked under different sections of the BNS, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and death by negligence.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) revealed that so far, over 60 FIRs have been registered across Assam against 10 people in connection with the singer’s death.
Special DGP Gupta also said that the post-mortem report conducted in Singapore will be handed over to the family as per protocol. The Singapore investigation team too has carried out its work and contacted the family.
Meanwhile, the report of a second post-mortem conducted in Guwahati is awaited. Viscera samples have been sent to the Central Forensic Laboratory in Delhi for detailed analysis. Gupta said the final post-mortem report will be prepared and shared once the viscera examination is completed.
(Viscera samples are internal organs such as intestines, liver, and kidneys collected during an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.)
Assam Police have formed a nine-member SIT to probe the case. DGP Gupta said the team will travel to Singapore to collect evidence once formal approval is received. “Our team is ready to go. We have already sent the request through the proper channel. As soon as we get the clearance, the team will travel,” he said.
The Government of India has invoked the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Singapore to ensure cooperation in the investigation. Gupta confirmed that Zubeen’s cousin, who was present at the time of the incident, Deputy SP Sandipan Garg, has also been questioned.
Zubeen’s family had lodged a complaint against his manager Siddharth Sharma and organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta. His uncle Manoj Borthakur said: “On behalf of the family, we filed a complaint with the CID office. In the complaint, Siddharth Sharma and Shyamkanu Mahanta were specifically named as accused, and we requested the CID to investigate.”
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