Shekhar Jyoti Goswami Apprehended by SIT in Zubeen Garg Death Probe from Guwahati

In a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the mysterious death of Assamese music icon Zubeen Garg, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested musician Shekhar Jyoti Goswami from the Garigaon area of Guwahati.

Goswami, Zubeen's longtime drummer and one of the individuals who accompanied the singer during his fatal trip to Singapore, is now under questioning as part of the probe into the circumstances surrounding Garg's demise on September 19.

The detention and later arrest come amid mounting public pressure and over 55 FIRs filed across Assam.

Sources close to the investigation revealed that Goswami, who had returned to Assam shortly after the incident, was picked for interrogation regarding his account of the events leading to the singer's drowning during a yacht outing at Lazarus Island in Singapore.

Goswami had previously provided a detailed narrative to the media upon his return, describing how the group, including Zubeen, his cousin Sandipan Garg, and singer Amritprabha Mahanta, had embarked on a recreational swim after arriving in Singapore for the North East India Festival.

He recounted spotting Zubeen floating in the water, attempting to lift him, and noticing froth and yellowish vomit from the singer's mouth before the team administered CPR and rushed him to Singapore General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:30 pm. Singapore authorities initially ruled the death as drowning, but a second autopsy conducted at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital on September 24 has deepened the mystery, with viscera samples now sent to Delhi for forensic analysis.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who announced the formation of the nine-member SIT on Wednesday, has reiterated the government's commitment to a transparent inquiry. Led by Special DGP (CID) MP Gupta and with SSP (CM Vigilance) Rosie Kalita as the chief investigating officer, the team is operating under CID PS Case No. 18/2025, registered under sections 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Sarma has also directed a police team to travel to Singapore to gather video footage and additional evidence, while assuring the public that the case could be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) if the SIT's findings prove unsatisfactory.