Zubeen Garg death probe: Guwahati local court sends APS officer Sandipan Garg to seven days police custody

GUWAHATI: : A local court in Guwahati on Wednesday sent Sandipan Garg, an APS officer, arrested by the Special Investigation Team of Assam Police in connection with the singer Zubeen Garg’s death case, to seven days’ police custody.

“Court has sent Sandipan Garg to seven days of police custody,” said SIT Chief and Special DGP, Crime Investigation Department, Prasad Gupta said.

Meanwhile, the SIT so far arrested five other people, including the main event organiser Shyamku Mahanta, Zubeen Garg’s Manager Siddhant Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and co-singer Amritprava Mahanta, in connection with the case.

Earlier on October 7, Rupkamal Kalita, an Assamese resident in Singapore, and also one among the people who was present in the yatch party on the day of the singer’s death appeared before the SIT.

Earlier, the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma provided an update on the ongoing investigation and stated that the viscera examination report is expected by October 10, with full details to emerge by the next day.He emphasised that police are meticulously recording all witness statements in the case diary, regardless of their nature, while clarifying that recent media reports on poisoning stem from an accused’s claim rather than official police findings.

“The viscera examination report of Zubeen Garg will be available on October 10, and we will know the details by October 11. The police’s duty is to record everything in the case diary as stated by witnesses. Some will say positive things, and others will say negative things, and the police will continue to document it all. However, these are not police statements; they are only witness statements. A witness’s statement is not a police statement. The news about poisoning published today is not a police statement; it is a statement from an accused. Whether he gave this statement to protect himself or to blame someone else will be revealed during the investigation,” he said.

Sarma also urged the Assamese community to press for the swift return of key suspects, currently in Singapore, to avoid further delays in the probe.

“Today, we are more concerned about whether the Assamese people currently in Singapore will return to cooperate with the investigation. If they do not come, we cannot complete the investigation. They were key individuals involved in Zubeen Garg’s yacht travel. The people of Assam should pressure the Assamese community in Singapore to ensure their return. Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddharth Sharma, Shekhar, and Amritprava are already in our custody, and we will be able to uncover the truth.

However, the critical issue is whether those in Singapore will return by October 6. If they do not, we will face another cycle of complications,” he said.

Singer Zubeen Garg was allegedly “poisoned” in Singapore, and his manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta had “deliberately chosen a foreign venue to conceal their conspiracy”, the late singer’s bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami has alleged, according to official documents with the police. (ANI)