Zubeen Garg Death Case: Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddharth Sharma sent to 14-day police custody

In the probe into the death of Assamese music icon Zubeen Garg, the Assam Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has obtained 14-day custody of prime suspects Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma.

The decision was made by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) in Guwahati on Wednesday, following their arrest and appearance in court.

The SIT apprehended Sharma, Zubeen Garg’s manager, in Gurgaon at approximately 1:30 am after he arrived from Rajasthan. Mahanta, the chief organiser of the Northeast Festival, was arrested at Delhi Airport at 12:04 am upon his return from Singapore. Both individuals were subsequently brought to Guwahati under stringent security measures, with significant police and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) presence at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport.

Initially, it was speculated that the suspects would be taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters. However, they were directly escorted to the CJM’s residence at Alpana Apartment in Geetanagar, Guwahati, for a private hearing.

Following the proceedings, the court granted the SIT a 14-day remand to facilitate in-depth interrogation and advance the investigation.

The accused face charges under Sections 61(2), 105, and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Prior to their arrests, the SIT had issued summonses requiring Mahanta and Sharma to appear within 10 days and had conducted searches at their residences to gather evidence.

Investigators anticipate that the 14-day custody period will allow them to reconstruct the events leading to Zubeen Garg’s death, conduct thorough questioning, and analyse both digital and physical evidence. The case has attracted widespread attention, particularly due to Mahanta’s prominent connections.

He is the younger brother of Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, former Assam Director General of Police, and Nani Gopal Mahanta, Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University and former education advisor to the Chief Minister.

The investigation was initiated following a formal complaint lodged by Zubeen Garg’s wife, Garima Saikia Garg, with support from the singer’s sister-in-law, Palme Barthakur, and a family uncle. The complaint named individuals who accompanied Zubeen on his final trip to Singapore and demanded a detailed probe into the mysterious circumstances of his death.