Zubeen Garg’s wife demands justice, blames negligence for his death

Guwahati: Garima Saikia Garg, the wife of late Assamese music icon Zubeen Garg, has expressed heartfelt gratitude to the public for their unwavering support during what she described as the most difficult period of her life.

“I’m truly thankful to everyone who stood by me. I hope people continue to support and love Zubeen in the same way,” Garima said, speaking publicly for the first time since her husband’s untimely demise.

She recalled Zubeen’s deep-rooted passion for youth empowerment, environmental conservation, and social justice, and pledged to carry forward his unfinished work.

“Though Zubeen is no longer with us, I’ll do everything in my power to bring his dreams to life,” she stated, describing his love for nature as spiritual and his connection with the people of Assam as his greatest strength.

Garima acknowledged the public’s growing demand for answers, saying that people from all walks of life, regardless of religion, caste, or background, have come together to seek justice.

“His absence has united us all. The support from the people of Assam keeps me going,” she added.

Speaking about Zubeen’s much-anticipated musical film Roi Roi Binale, Garima confirmed that post-production is underway and the team is working hard to complete the film, which Zubeen had planned to release on October 31.

“The work has begun, and we will release it in theatres soon,” she said.

Garima also expressed faith in the ongoing investigation.

“The people of Assam and the police have been relentless in their pursuit of justice since day one. I’m in touch with both the Assam and Singapore police. I believe the government will take this seriously, and the truth will come out,” she said.

She revealed that she has filed an FIR against all individuals who were present during the incident.

Referring to the videos of Zubeen’s final moments that surfaced online, she alleged that negligence played a key role.

"He looked visibly tired before he entered the water and chose not to wear a life jacket. The people around him failed to stop him, even though ensuring his safety was their responsibility," she said firmly.

Garima also shared that she contacted Zubeen’s manager, Siddharth, immediately after the incident on September 19 to understand what had happened, but was unable to reach others as their phones were unreachable.

“Later, I got some information, but no one initially told us what really happened. Only after some time did videos and photos start surfacing online,” she noted.

While she refrained from commenting directly on Shyamkanu Mahanta, the organiser of the event in Singapore, Garima raised concerns over the arrangements made for Zubeen.

“He took responsibility for Zubeen, but failed to ensure basic safety. There was no medical support, no security, and I doubt he even managed Zubeen’s diet properly. It’s shocking that neither his manager nor others present noticed how exhausted he was,” she said.

Concluding her statement, Garima declared that she would remain strong for Zubeen’s sake. “He taught me strength, and I’ll use that strength to find the truth. I want to know what exactly happened and why.”