Zubeen Garg death case: Assam SIT secures 14-day custody of Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddharth Sharma

Guwahati: In a significant development in the investigation into the death of Assamese music icon Zubeen Garg, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Assam Police has taken prime accused Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma into 14-day custody.

The court granted the remand on Wednesday following their formal production before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) in Guwahati.

The SIT had earlier arrested Sharma, the late singer’s manager, from Gurgaon at around 1:30 am after he reached there from Rajasthan, while Mahanta, the chief organiser of the Northeast Festival, was arrested from Delhi Airport at 12:04 am as soon as he landed from Singapore.

Subsequently, they were later brought to Guwahati. Both were transported under high security, with large contingents of police and CISF deployed at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport.

Contrary to earlier reports suggesting they would be taken to the CID headquarters, the two accused were directly escorted to the CJM's residence in Alpana Apartment, Geetanagar, Guwahati, on the morning of October 1.

Following a closed-door hearing, the magistrate sanctioned a 14-day remand, enabling the SIT to interrogate them and further the investigation.

Officials have booked Mahanta and Sharma under Sections 61(2), 105, and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

The SIT had previously issued a summons instructing both individuals to appear within 10 days. Prior to the arrests, police also conducted searches at their homes to collect evidence.

Authorities believe the extended custody will help investigators piece together the timeline of events leading to Zubeen Garg’s death, conduct detailed questioning, and examine digital and physical evidence.

The case has drawn intense public scrutiny, particularly due to Mahanta’s influential background.

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

The arrests came after Zubeen Garg’s wife, Garima Saikia Garg, filed a formal complaint, which was jointly supported by the singer’s sister-in-law, Palme Barthakur, and a family uncle.

The complaint named several individuals who accompanied Zubeen on his final trip to Singapore and called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his sudden and mysterious death.

With the SIT now in charge of a critical 14-day interrogation window, the coming days are expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the outcome of one of Assam’s most high-profile investigations in recent memory.