‘Justice for Zubeen Garg’: How the iconic singer’s death became a political flashpoint in Assam

Ingty Raj Gogoi, a 26-year-old businessman from eastern Assam’s Sivasagar, was overwhelmed by grief at the death of Zubeen Garg.

But his sorrow soon turned to anger – like that of thousands in Assam who suspect there is more to the singer's death in Singapore last month than a simple case of drowning, as initially reported.

Gogoi took to Facebook, demanding “justice”. He posted repeatedly – sometimes twice daily – calling on the government for an impartial investigation into Garg’s “mysterious” death. In some, he wrote against those politicising the tragedy of a man who had long distanced himself from politics. Every post carried the hashtag #JusticeForZubeenGarg.

But in a curious twist of events, it was Gogoi who found himself in the crosshairs of Assam police. On October 5, while attending a memorial for the singer, he said he was picked up by the police and interrogated for nearly six hours.  

The police, Gogoi said, did not question him for probable clues into the circumstances around Garg’s death but instead grilled him over his social media posts. He was, he said, finally let off with a warning: refrain from “posting political stuff”.

While Assam’s CID investigates Garg’s high-profile death – with seven arrests on charges from criminal conspiracy  to murder – a parallel crackdown has emerged, with police even invoking the National Security Act.  

The target: Opposition leaders and fans questioning the government’s handling of the allegations around Garg’s death.

What began as spontaneous grief and shock, and then speculation, including murder allegations, has now become a political flashpoint before next year’s assembly elections.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma released a video saying “anti-government politics in the name of Zubeen” will not be tolerated, and separately threatened police action against opposition leader Gaurav Gogoi for instigating violence. 

The government’s heavy-handed response, observers say, is indicative of the immense pressure it faces amid the mounting public outrage over the iconic musician’s death as the BJP seeks a third straight term in the assembly elections early next year.

Call for ‘justice’ and a crackdown

On September 17, Garg left Assam for Singapore to perform at the North East India Festival, an annual event organised by Assam-based firm Trend MMS in collaboration with India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Indian high commission in Singapore to showcase the culture of the country's northeastern region.

Two days later, on September 19, he lost consciousness while swimming during a yacht outing and was declared dead at a hospital.

The Singapore Police later ruled out foul play, attributing the death to drowning. But that has done little to convince people back in Assam, many of whom strongly attribute the incident to foul play.

The main objects of ire for Garg’s fans have been Siddharth Sharma, his long-time manager who was on the yacht, and Shyamkanu Mahanta, chief functionary of Trend MMS, the organiser of the North East India Festival. Scores across the state filed police complaints naming the duo.

Responding to the mass public outcry demanding “justice”, the state government promptly commissioned an investigation by the CID and formed a nine-member Special Investigation Team under special director general of police Munna Prasad Gupta. A second post mortem was ordered in Assam.

But public anger was far from placated: a mob tried to storm Siddharth Sharma's apartment in Guwahati on September 25, pelting stones at police personnel at the scene, leading them to resort to a lathi charge.

Chief Minister Sarma responded by asking people not to turn the state “into Nepal”.

“Some who were never Zubeen’s fans are now using his name for their own agenda,” he said. “Don’t weaponise his death.”

Legal action against critics has also followed.

The police invoked the National Security Act against Victor Das, a controversial social media personality whom the government has accused of instigating violence. Das, a teacher by profession, has previously alleged corruption in government recruitment exams.

Musician and Congress politician Ajay Phukan was booked for allegedly assaulting police during post-funeral protests. On September 28, police arrested 31-year-old Mukibur Rohman, who runs a furniture business in Golaghat district’s Merapani, for instigating the public by posting a video urging people to take to the streets of Guwahati to protest and demand justice. Phukan, Das and Rohman remain in jail.

Dipjyoti Gogoi, an activist from Demow in Sivasagar, was interrogated for more than 22 hours on October 5 over a post demanding justice and criticising the government.

Like Ingty Raj Gogoi, he was also asked to refrain from making political commentary, he said. Dipjyoti alleged that authorities were targeting only those considered critical of the regime. “It’s nothing but an intimidation tactic,” he said.

The government’s discomfort 

Observers say the police action against detractors suggest that the authorities had been caught off guard by the furious outpouring of rage – a situation further complicated by what many see as Shyamkanu Mahanta’s deep ties to Assam’s governing elite.

The 53-year-old is deeply entrenched in the state’s power structure. One of his brothers retired as the police chief of the state, having been elevated to the position during the BJP’s first term; another was a former education advisor to Assam government and now the Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University.

In the days following Garg’s death, social media was flooded with photos of Mahanta with BJP leaders, Sarma himself featuring in many of them.

Dipjyoti Gogoi, the activist who was interrogated, had posted one such photo.

Some alleged that the BJP government had actively patronised Mahanta, supporting his many commercial endeavours. Sarma quickly announced that the state government had decided to prohibit Mahanta and any organisation associated with him from holding any functions within Assam.

Assamese author Juri Borah Borgohain said what amplified public anger was the perception that Zubeen was “lost to corrupt nexus politicians and their cronies”. “This made the government highly uncomfortable,” she said.

United in grief

Yet, it is not just the identity of the people his fans hold responsible for Garg’s untimely demise that is driving public outrage – but also the public image of Garg himself.

The mercurial musician burst onto Assam’s music scene in the early 1990s – then barely out of his teens – as a singer, songwriter, and composer. But his influence would stretch far beyond music. Over time, his irreverence, anti-establishment stance, and outspoken political voice catapulted him into demi-god like status – a rare unifying figure who transcended Assam’s deep ethnic, religious and linguistic divides.

The surreal public mourning following his death – the whole state came to a complete standstill for days – reflected that. Hindus and Muslims, Assamese and Bengalis, indigenous tribal residents and migrant communities – everyone seemed to have been unified in grief.

“This is our beloved Assam,” said one of the many social media posts, articulating the spirit of a shared existence that Garg so often advocated. Another young man, mimicking Garg’s famously symbolic act, cut off his sacred thread in defiance of religious division: “No more Hindu-Muslim politics. We are humans first. We are together.”

This expression of unity was particularly striking, given a fresh wave of polarisation under the Himanta Biswa Sarma government since it came to power in 2021. The past couple of years have been marked by the marginalisation of Muslims in Assam, especially those of Bengali origin, who have been confronted with eviction drives, police crackdowns, hate speech, and a vilification campaign online.

But for once, those divides appeared to dissolve – much to the unease of the BJP, according to observers. 

“Garg symbolised everything that makes this government uncomfortable,” said political commentator Parveen Sultana. Added senior journalist Sushanta Talukdar: “What we are witnessing appears to be a rejection of divisive politics – its proponents are now apprehensive and fear being left isolated.”

Government action

The government, for its part, seemed to be acting on a war footing to avoid further damage.  

Both Siddharth Sharma and Mahanta were arrested on October 2, with photos of them in handcuffs shared by senior cabinet ministers, crediting the chief minister for “delivering justice” to Garg. Police have launched a separate probe into Mahanta’s suspected involvement in financial irregularities.

Subsequently, five more people – including three who were with Garg on the yacht – have been arrested. The latest arrests are of two of Garg’s personal security officers, who were not in Singapore at the time of his death but allegedly had transactions amounting to Rs 1 crore in their accounts,” much above their known salary income” in their bank accounts.

A senior Guwahati-based lawyer claimed the government appeared to be making “quick arrests for political mileage” at the cost of “prosecuting people who should not be prosecuted”.

Opposition jumps in

Meanwhile, Garg’s legions of fans continue to demand answers about his final moments after he jumped into the water near Singapore’s Lazarus Island – in front of at least a dozen eyewitnesses. On Sunday, hundreds gathered at his cremation site on the outskirts of Guwahati, demanding a timely probe. The artiste community in Assam has also mounted pressure online, sharing posts with the hasgtag #JusticeForZubeenGarg.

His family, including his wife Garima Sakia Garg and sister Palmee Borthakur, has pressed for a fair and impartial investigation, questioning why those who were with him were not more vigilant, especially given his history of ill health.

The opposition in Assam has seized on the controversy, demanding a CBI inquiry and alleging “close ties” between the BJP government and Shyamkanu Mahanta, alleging that the government was trying to protect him – a charge Sarma has responded to by saying that it was Gaurav Gogoi who was closer to Mahanta.

Addressing reporters in Guwahati, Sarma described Gogoi and Mahanta as “bundiya-bhujiya”, a colloquial Assamese phrase implying an inseparable friendship. 

Both sides have since taken to social media, posting videos to demonstrate the other’s proximity to Mahanta —  and their own closeness Garg, as they compete over who was a bigger fan of the deceased musician.

Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma has filed a criminal defamation case against opposition lawmaker Akhil Gogoi after he alleged that a company she owned had organised a fashion event at the North East India festival in Singapore, after Garg’s death. Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi played Garg’s famous song Mayabini at a recent ‘Vote Chori’ rally, which prompted the BJP to accuse the party for exploiting Garg’s death for political gain.

Fans say the political point-scoring has only heightened frustration, noting that Garg himself often spoke against petty politics, including in his catchy 2019 hit, Politics Nokoriba Bondhu (“Don’t do politics, my friend”), a critique of divisive politics. 

The ones closest to Garg fear the truth will be the casualty of the mud-slinging. “We just want to know what happened, and why we had to lose him,” Garg’s wife Garima told reporters last week, breaking down. “At this point, I am not affected by any kind of politics or the distractions – I just want the truth. For me, that is justice.”

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