Three more Assamese expatriates, who witnessed the final moments of cultural icon Zubeen Garg in Singapore, appeared before Assam Police on Monday in response to a second notice issued against them, a senior official confirmed. The investigation into the singer’s mysterious death is intensifying, with authorities expecting additional Assamese NRIs from Singapore to come forward and record their statements within the next 48 hours.
Jiolangsat Narzary, Parikshit Sharma, and Siddhartha Bora arrived at the CID headquarters in the morning, while another expatriate, Bhaskar Jyoti Dutta, is scheduled to appear later in the day, according to CID Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta. Interrogations of the three have begun, with officials awaiting the arrival of the fourth individual. Fresh summonses were issued to ten people linked with the Assam Association Singapore after they failed to respond by the October 6 deadline. Previously, only one Assamese individual, Rupkamal Kalita, had appeared before the CID and was questioned for over 24 hours before being released.
The investigation follows the sudden and mysterious death of Zubeen Garg in Singapore on September 19 while he was swimming. Garg had travelled to the Southeast Asian nation to participate in the fourth edition of the North East India Festival. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Assam Police’s CID is leading the probe, which has been prompted by more than sixty FIRs lodged across the state.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that investigators have identified a “definite angle” after receiving the viscera report. Following Garg’s second post-mortem at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital on September 23, a viscera sample was sent to the Central Forensic Laboratory in Delhi for detailed analysis. The first autopsy had been conducted in Singapore immediately after Garg’s death.
The Assam government has also responded to requests from Singapore Police for “vital information” related to the case, and the Indian government invoked the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to secure Singapore’s cooperation in the ongoing investigation. Several individuals connected with Garg were previously apprehended, including North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma, two band members, the singer’s cousin DSP Sandipan Garg, and his PSOs Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya. Large financial transactions totaling over Rs 1.1 crore were discovered in the accounts of the PSOs, prompting their arrest. All seven previously arrested individuals remain in police custody as the investigation continues.
