Zubeen Garg death: Shyamkanu Mahanta defends himself and the organisation, SIT raids his residence

Northeast India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta released a video of himself stating that his name has been put to blame for the death of the singer.

Published on: Sep 25, 2025, 21:57:05 IST

By Santanu Das

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Zubeen Garg death: The sudden death of singer Zubeen Garg last Friday came as a shock to the entire nation. The singer died in Singapore in a scuba diving accident, a day before he was supposed to perform at the Northeast India Festival. Amid widespread scrutiny, Shyamkanu Mahanta, organiser of the North East India Festival in Singapore, has released a video on Facebook to defend himself.

Zubeen Garg death: Northeast India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta defended himself amid huge backlash.

Shyamkanu defends himself

In the video, Shyamkanu said that his name has been dragging only for TRP purposes and there has been a lot of allegations against him without evidence. He claimed he first came to know about Zubeen Garg’s demise at 3:30 pm on September 19. He also shared that inviting him for the event must not be a fault as he is the brand ambassador. It was his responsibility to invite him. He added that Zubeen was staying at the five-star Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore and they had decided on the performance, where he was also going to give a tribute to Bhupen Hazarika. He went on to share that he was shocked to hear about his death.

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Meanwhile, Assam Police's Special Investigating Team (SIT) conducted separate raids at the residences of Northeast India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and his manager Siddhartha Sharma on Thursday. None of his family members, except for two helpers, were present, stated a PTI report. The Assam government has constituted a 10-member SIT, led by Special DGP M P Gupta, to investigate the singer's death in Singapore.

Meanwhile, Assam CM tweeted, "Update on #BelovedZubeen’s case

👉 Assam CID will interrogate Shyamkanu Mahanta and everyone connected to this matter.

👉 If the Assam CID is unable to unearth all the facts, we will approach the CBI.

👉 Please do not spread rumours. If anyone has any leads or material, kindly contact the CID."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Santanu Das
Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupechaRead More

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