GUWAHATI : The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of Assam’s celebrated singer and cultural icon Zubeen Garg has filed a comprehensive chargesheet before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (Metro), marking a major development in the nearly three-month-long investigation. Garg’s sudden and suspicious death on September 19 had triggered widespread shock, public grief, and mounting calls for a transparent probe.

Senior advocate Bijan Mahajan, briefing the media, said the SIT has submitted a 3,500-page chargesheet detailing evidence, witness accounts, and forensic findings. “Four of the seven arrested individuals have been charged with murder under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” Mahajan stated. Those facing the most serious charges – which carry the maximum punishment of death or life imprisonment – include:

”         Shyamkanu Mahanta, organiser of the Northeast India Festival

”         Siddharth Sharma, the singer’s manager

”         Shekharjyoti Goswami, drummer

”         Amrit Prabha Mahanta, co-singer

The chargesheet was prepared by SIT investigators Rosy Kalita, Moromi Medhi, and Naba Deka, and is being seen as a pivotal step in a case that has captured the attention of Assam and the wider Northeast.

Mahajan added that Sandipan Garg, Zubeen’s cousin and a suspended APS officer, has been charged under Section 105 of the BNS, which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Depending on the extent of intention or knowledge established in court, the section allows imprisonment ranging from five to ten years, with the possibility of life imprisonment in aggravated cases.

In another significant finding, the SIT has charged the singer’s two Personal Security Officers – Paresh Baishya and Nandeswar Borah – with criminal breach of trust, indicating potential lapses or misconduct in their duties at the time of the incident.

With the chargesheet formally placed before the court, the high-profile case now moves into its next judicial phase, where the evidence and charges will be tested in court. The proceedings are expected to be closely watched as Assam awaits clarity on the circumstances behind one of its most heartbreaking and controversial deaths in recent years.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday reiterated that anyone found responsible for the death of singer Zubeen Garg “will be punished as per law,” hours after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its chargesheet before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Guwahati.

Speaking to reporters, Sarma said that several suspects had already been arrested and that the matter was now firmly in the hands of the judiciary. “The legal process will take its course. Whoever is guilty will face punishment as prescribed under the law,” he asserted.

The SIT’s filing marks a crucial point in the probe into the death of the beloved Assamese singer, which was initially reported as an accidental drowning in Singapore on September 19, 2025. The Chief Minister, however, has consistently rejected that version.

Both in the Assembly and in public statements, Sarma maintained that evidence gathered by investigators indicated a “plain and simple murder” involving one primary perpetrator and several accomplices.

While the full contents of the chargesheet have not yet been made public, officials familiar with the investigation said it consolidates months of forensic examinations, witness testimonies and digital evidence. The case, already one of the most closely watched in the state, is expected to draw intense public attention as court proceedings move forward.

The death of Zubeen Garg, a cultural icon whose influence spans music, cinema and activism, has sparked widespread emotion across Assam. With the chargesheet now filed, the judicial phase of the case is set to begin, and clarity on the circumstances surrounding his death is eagerly awaited by fans and the public alike.