Guwahati, Dec. 12: The special investigation team (SIT) of Assam CID, which probed the case regarding the death of singer Zubeen Garg, submitted a comprehensive chargesheet before the chief judicial magistrate’s (CJM) court of Kamrup Metropolitan district here on Friday.
The chargesheet, which along with relevant documents (bank documents, digital evidence, forensic reports), runs into about 12000 pages, was reportedly brought to the CJM court in four trunks by a delegation of SIT officers.
Officials said the chargesheet and the relevant documents would form the basis of the judicial process once the case is numbered and listed.
Notably, statements of more than 300 people were recorded by the probe team before filing the chargesheet.
Legendary singer and cultural icon, Zubeen Garg, 52, passed away under mysterious circumstances during a yacht trip in Singapore on September 19, 2025. Garg had gone to the Southeast Asian country to perform at the North East India Festival.
The Assam government had subsequently constituted the SIT under Special DGP, CID, Munna Prasad Gupta to investigate the case.
Seven accused in the case – North East India festival chief organiser, Shyamkanu Mahanta; Zubeen’s manager Siddharth Sharma; Zubeen’s cousin and police officer Sandipan Garg; bandmates Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amrit Prabha Mahanta, and two personal security officers, Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya — were earlier arrested, remanded to judicial custody, and currently lodged in prisons at Baksa and Haflong.
Addressing mediapersons at the CID office, SIT chief Munna P. Gupta said the chargesheet has been filed before the CJM (Kamrup Metro) court in the CID police station case (number 18/2025) against the seven arrested accused.
“Murder charges under BNS Section 103 have been framed against Siddharth Sharma, Shyamkanu Mahanta, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amrit Prabha Mahanta. Culpable homicide charge (not amounting to murder) under Section 105 of BNS has been framed against Sandipan Garg,” Gupta said.
He further informed that the other two accused, Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya – have been charged under BNS Section 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy) and BNS Section 316 (5) (criminal breach of trust).
“The main chargesheet is of 2500 pages, and along with the relevant documentary evidence, it will be about 12000 pages,” he said, while responding to a media query.
Responding to mediapersons on Friday, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the SIT has submitted a comprehensive chargesheet and that “murder charges under Section 103 of BNSS have been framed against some of the accused in the case.”
“The responsibility of the SIT ends with the submission of the chargesheet before the court. Now, the judiciary will determine the course of the proceedings. We must repose faith in the judiciary in the delivery of justice in the case. The judicial process must be honoured,” Sarma said.
An advocate, speaking to the media, informed that once any investigation team submits a chargesheet to the CJM court, the findings in the chargesheet are reviewed and the document is forwarded to the Sessions Court, where staff “register the charge sheet and assign it a case number.”
“The Sessions Court may either proceed with the trial or transfer the matter to another competent court, depending on jurisdictional requirements,” the advocate said.
Meanwhile, AASU chief advisor, Samujjal Bhattacharjya, hoped that a ‘water-tight chargesheet has been submitted by the SIT so that the guilty cannot escape punishment.
The AASU leader said that the onus is now on the state government to take things forward, including, as announced earlier, the constitution of a fast-track court for expeditious justice in the case.
“Now, the responsibility of the Assam government has increased. Along with a fast-track court, a special public prosecutor must be designated,” he said.
