Zubeen Garg poisoned in Singapore, claims arrested bandmate

Guwahati: In a shocking claim regarding the death of Zubeen Garg, his band member Shekhar Jyoti Goswami has alleged that the singer was poisoned by his manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta.

Sharma was heard shouting ‘Jabo de, jabo de’ (let him go, let him go) when Garg was gasping for breath, almost drowning in the sea off Singapore, the accompanying drummer said in the ‘Detailed Grounds of Arrest’ or remand note of the singer’s manager.

According to the highly sensitive document, accessed by PTI, Goswami also claimed that there was a “conspiracy” to portray Garg’s death as an accident.

Garg died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 while swimming in the sea. He had gone to the Southeast Asian nation to attend the 4th edition of the NorthEast India Festival, organised by Mahanta and his company.

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Meanwhile, Garg’s wife Garima returned the post-mortem examination report of her husband to police, saying it is not her “personal document” and investigators will be the best judge to decide whether it should be made public.

“During the critical moments when Garg was gasping for breath, almost drowning, Sharma was heard shouting ‘Jabo de, jabo de’ (let him go, let him go). The witness emphasised that the singer was an expert swimmer who had trained both him and the accused, and therefore could not have drowned,” the remand note said.

“He (Goswami) alleged that Sharma and Mahanta had poisoned the victim and deliberately chosen a foreign venue to conceal their conspiracy. Sharma also instructed him not to share the yacht videos with anyone,” stated the note, signed by SIT member and senior SP Rosie Kalita.

A nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) is currently probing the death of Garg.

“The statement of witness Goswami, recorded U/S 175 BNSS, stated that prior to Garg’s death, a conspiracy was formulated to portray his death as accidental. He stated that Sharma, who stayed with him in Room No. 3010 at Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore, had displayed suspicious conduct,” the note said.

Asked about Goswami’s claim before police, Garima questioned why he was silent for so long.

“If Shekhar had known it, why did he hide it for so long? Anyway, a probe is going on. If anyone has done so, then he must get the strongest possible punishment.

“Why was he (Garg) pushed to such a level? He loved everyone so much! He only knew how to love people and nothing else. He also taught me only to trust people,” she added.

Garima further said, “We considered everyone as our own and part of the family like brothers. He always used to say that they are our extended families and we have to think about their families too. We did that only. Now, what has been done to us, did it really happen? So, the strictest punishment should be given if it really happened.”

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Quoting Goswami, the note said Sharma forcibly took control of the yacht from its sailor, causing it to wobble dangerously in mid-sea, thereby endangering all passengers.

“He (Goswami) also revealed that Sharma instructed Tanmoy Phukan (NRI, member of Assam Association, Singapore) not to arrange drinks, claiming that he alone would provide them,” it added.

When Garg was frothing by the mouth and nose, Sharma dismissed it as acid reflux and assured others that there was nothing to worry about “instead of providing necessary medical facilities”, the remand note said.

“…he (Sharma) facilitated the early demise of Zubeen Garg,” it added.

Sharma has already been arrested along with Mahanta, Goswami and Garg’s co-singer Amrit Prabha Mahanta under various charges such as criminal conspiracy, murder and culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

“Material evidence collected during investigation, including documentary records, financial transactions, and witness statements, prima facie establishes his (Sharma’s) culpability,” the ‘Detailed Grounds of Arrest’ said.

The report claimed that statements of Amrit Prabha and actress Nishita Goswami, who was also present in Singapore, corroborated that Sharma had facilitated Garg’s access to liquor and inappropriate company by arranging accommodation for the co-singer in the same room with the icon at Pan Pacific Hotel.

“The accused has failed to provide any satisfactory explanation regarding supply of liquor and women to the deceased prior to his death,” it alleged.

The CID is probing the case of Garg’s death after more than 60 FIRs have been lodged across the state against Mahanta and almost 10 others, including Sharma and band members Goswami and Amrit Prabha. All four have been arrested and sent to 14 days of police remand.

On Friday, the state government set up a one-man judicial commission, headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia of Gauhati High Court, to probe Garg’s death.

Garima said she had full confidence in the investigation to unearth the circumstances leading to the singer’s death.

“As the investigation is going on, I did not consider the post-mortem examination report as my personal document. So, I have returned it to the investigating officer,” she told reporters after CID Additional SP Moramee Das, who had come to hand her over the report, left her residence.

“I don’t know anything about law. Whether making it public will hamper the ongoing probe, I don’t know. That is why I have returned the report. If it can be made public, then you will get it from them,” she added.

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