One year after the death of Assam's most celebrated artist, Zubeen Garg, in the waters off Singapore, seven persons are undergoing court proceedings, while two conflicting versions of his death exist, but what remains larger than the case is the state's enduring grief, his family's relentless quest for answers, and a musical legacy that refuses to fade.
Zubeen died in Singapore on September 19 last year. Singapore authorities ruled it an accidental drowning, while Assam is prosecuting the death as murder.
However, both investigations state that Zubeen joined a private yacht outing near Singapore’s Lazarus Island a day before he was supposed to attend the North East India Festival.
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Deep Dive
What were the circumstances surrounding Zubeen Garg's death?
Why is there ongoing legal action regarding Zubeen Garg's death in Assam?
How is Zubeen Garg's legacy being honored by his fans and the state government?
He entered the water twice, becoming unresponsive during his second swim. Despite instant rescue efforts and CPR, he was pronounced dead at Singapore General Hospital.
The Singapore Police Force ruled out foul play, concluding he had drowned after removing his life jacket. Toxicology tests revealed a high blood alcohol concentration (333 mg/100 ml), which authorities said was consistent with severe intoxication and impaired coordination.
{{/usCountry}}The Singapore Police Force ruled out foul play, concluding he had drowned after removing his life jacket. Toxicology tests revealed a high blood alcohol concentration (333 mg/100 ml), which authorities said was consistent with severe intoxication and impaired coordination.
{{/usCountry}}Garg’s death shook all of Assam; more than 1.5 million people joined his final journey when his body was taken to the Kamarkuchi area of Sonapur near Guwahati on September 21 last year. His fans stood peacefully in queues at Kamarkuchi, where he was cremated with full state honours, for days to pay tributes.
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This was compared to the final journey of popstar Michael Jackson and was praised at international platforms.
The grief soon gave way to suspicion as his fans started demanding justice. His wife, Garima Saikia Garg, also joined this campaign, and more than 60 First Information Reports (FIRs) were lodged across Assam.
The Assam government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the swelling number of FIRs. Within weeks, the investigation officially pivoted to murder.
Between October 1 and 10, Assam Police arrested the Singapore festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma, musicians Amritprabha Mahanta and Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, Garg’s cousin Sandipan Garg, and two personal security officers under various charges including murder, culpable homicide, conspiracy, and financial fraud.
Meanwhile, Garima received a copy of the postmortem report from Singapore, but she handed it to the Assam Police. A second autopsy was ordered in Guwahati, and viscera samples were dispatched to New Delhi.
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The SIT filed a 2,500-page chargesheet in December, with total case documents exceeding 12,000 pages, built on statements from nearly 300 witnesses. A team headed by Assam CID chief Munna Prasad Gupta visited Singapore to collect more information before the chargesheet was formally submitted.
In the court's proceedings, four of the arrested persons were charged with murder, Sandipan Garg was charged with culpable homicide, and the two PSOs faced charges including criminal conspiracy.
However, during questioning, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami claimed that Siddhartha Sharma and Shyamkanu Mahanta had poisoned Garg and that it was all pre-planned.
According to him, the event organisers deliberately chose Singapore to conceal the plot and suppress videos to make it look accidental.
However, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma entered the conversation, cautioning that Goswami was a co-accused and this could be his attempt to escape.
During the same time, Singapore Police said that as per their investigation, this was a clear case of drowning. But Himanta took a firm public stance; he repeatedly called the death a murder and demanded justice.
Garima Garg, who initially refused to believe that Zubeen's friends, cousin, and PSOs could plan a murder, later started demanding accountability. In October last year, she said, “If anyone is proven guilty of wrongdoing, they must face the ultimate punishment.”
In March 2026, Singapore State Coroner Adam Nakhoda officially ruled the death an accidental drowning, finding no evidence of foul play, coercion, or poisoning. The Singapore Police Force formally closed its probe days later.
Despite the stark international divergence, the Assam trial pushed forward. The Gauhati High Court constituted an exclusive fast-track sessions court. In May, charges were formally framed against all seven accused, who pleaded not guilty. A separate judicial commission headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia also started its own inquiry.
While the legal machinery grinds on, Assam has cemented Garg’s legacy in stone and song. The government allotted 10 bighas in Kamarkuchi for 'Zubeen Kshetra,' a permanent memorial. Another memorial was announced for Jorhat, and a 30-bigha park in Kokrajhar marked his 53rd birth anniversary with a 25,000-artist performance of Mayabini.
His influence resonated far beyond regional borders. Artists like AR Rahman and Shreya Ghoshal paid tribute, and American singer Post Malone hailed him as a “legendary” figure during a Guwahati concert.
Honoring his environmental advocacy, Kaziranga National Park named a newborn elephant calf “Mayabini.” His cinematic legacy also continued; his final film, Roi Roi Binale, became a major box-office success, and the movie is returning to theatres on the eve of his death anniversary.
Beyond everything, the Zubeen Kshetra slowly evolved into a site of pilgrimage. His fans, gentle, emotional, yet silent, started spending time there.
Manna Bhattacharjee, a businessman from Assam's Silchar, said that he could not attend the final journey in Guwahati because he didn't have that much courage.
"I still don't believe that my Zubeen Da is not physically present. I didn't have the courage to see his body, I know many won't understand this but we Zubeen fans can," he said, adding that September 19 is going to be one of the toughest days to face.
According to theatre artist and journalist Sayan Biswas, the admiration for Zubeen in Assam is organic and this was a creation of the artist Zubeen. "He was never far from his fans, he was reachable. He reached the heart by his lyrics, his music and his voice; that was the relationship," Biswas said.
For months, admirers arrived with flowers, gamchas, and silent prayers. A three-day 'Zubeen Divas' program currently underway at the site features cultural performances and a concluding Bhaona, celebrating a voice that once soundtracked everyday Assamese life.
Composer Salim Merchant on Thursday visited the memorial, captured the prevailing sentiment and said, “His love, his humanity, and his music are always going to be with us.”
Garima Garg echoed this, noting that despite the grueling trial, where over 100 witnesses have already been examined, her husband's presence has only magnified. “Zubeen is now everywhere... He belongs to the entire Assamese community,” she said.
A year after his death, the exact circumstances in the waters off Singapore remain bitterly contested between two divergent legal realities: an international ruling of accidental drowning, and a domestic trial alleging murder.
But what has happened in Assam is undisputed. The tragedy has not diminished his memory; rather, it has immortalized it.