Assam CID Widens Probe Into Singer Zubeen Garg’s Death; Event Organiser and Manager Detained

The investigation into the death of celebrated singer Zubeen Garg deepened on Tuesday night after the Assam Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) Special Investigation Team (SIT) detained two key figures — North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and the singer’s manager Siddharth Sarma — from different states, officials confirmed. Both were subsequently produced in court and remanded to 14 days of custody.

According to officials, Mahanta was taken into custody at around 12.30 a.m. on Wednesday from Delhi Airport. He was immediately flown to Guwahati and brought to the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport later that morning. Meanwhile, another SIT team detained Sarma from Rajasthan, following an overnight stay in Gurugram. He is also expected to be transferred to Assam shortly.

The CID had already initiated a separate investigation against Mahanta on Sunday. Official documents accessed by PTI indicate that Mahanta, an accused in Garg’s death, is also under scrutiny for alleged involvement in organised financial crimes, including property acquisitions through money laundering.

Shyamkanu Mahanta, notably, is the younger brother of former Assam Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, who currently serves as Chief Information Commissioner of the Assam State Information Commission. Another elder brother, Nani Gopal Mahanta, previously served as Education Advisor to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma before taking charge as Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University.

During raids conducted on Thursday and Friday, CID officials seized a large cache of what they described as “incriminating” material from Mahanta’s residence. The recovered items included multiple PAN cards issued under a single firm’s name, nearly 30 stamp seals linked to various companies and government departments, and documents tied to several suspected benami properties.

The probe was expanded following the registration of over 60 FIRs across Assam against Mahanta and nearly 10 others, including Garg’s manager Siddharth Sarma. The case continues to draw widespread attention in the state, as investigators work to unravel both the circumstances of Garg’s death and the alleged financial irregularities linked to the organisers of the Northeast India Festival in Singapore, where the singer had last performed.