Zubeen Garg, one of the most influential musical artists from Assam, died in a swimming-related accident Singapore. He wrote and composed nearly 38,000 songs across 40 different languages, played dozens of instruments, and directed and acted in movies and videos, creating almost a cult-like phenomenon for nearly three decades in Assam. How did Zubeen Garg die? Garg passed away at the age of 52 in Singapore. He was visiting the country as a cultural brand ambassador for the North East India Festival, scheduled for September 20 and 21, where he was also supposed to perform. On September 19, he was reportedly taken for a yacht outing by members of the Assam Association Singapore and lost consciousness while swimming. He was declared dead when he was taken to Singapore General Hospital. Where were his last rites held? The final rites were held at Kamarkuchi NC village, located on the outskirts of the state capital, Guwahati, on Tuesday. His body was brought to the cremation ground from the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex, accompanied by a final procession attended by thousands of mourners. Zubeen was cremated with full state honours. What does the death certificate say? According to reports, the official death certificate lists “drowning” as the cause of death. Who has been accused of negligence? On September 19, a police complaint was filed in Assam’s Morigaon district, accusing festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and his manager Siddharth Sharma of negligence and mismanagement. This came against the backdrop of fans questioning why he was taken to Singapore despite health concerns. Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that owing to multiple complaints, he has directed the DGP Assam to transfer all of them to the CID and to “register a consolidated case for thorough investigation.” Did his family also file a complaint? Amid an investigation by the Assam Police’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) into superstar singer Zubeen Garg’s death, his family has submitted their own complaint to the agency. Has a special probe been launched? A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe a case registered with the CID against Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma and Northeast India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, among others, following Garg’s death in Singapore in a swimming incident. Whom has the CID summoned? The CID has summoned Mahanta and Sharma to appear before the probe agency by October 6. Neither of them returned to Assam since the incident. Were any arrests made? On October 1, the late singer Zubeen Garg’s manager, Siddhartha Sharma and North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta were arrested and brought to Guwahati. Following the arrest, the Assam Police Thursday added the murder charge to the CID case in connection with the probe into Garg’s death. What is the status of the accused? Mahanta and Sharma were arrested at the Delhi airport and Gurgaon, respectively, by the Assam Police. They had been sent to 14-day police custody. The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was formed to investigate Garg’s death, is interrogating the accused.
