Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that one person killed singer Zubeen Garg while four to five others assisted him in the act. Speaking on the opening day of the winter session of the Assam Assembly, Sarma said the case was treated as a murder from “the very first day” and the chargesheet will be submitted before the court on December 8.
“It is a murder from the very first day. The accused, Shyamkanu Mahanta, along with 4–5 accused, are locked up in a murder case. Our emotions are with Zubeen. That is why we are probing Zubeen Garg’s murder,” Sarma said.
The Assembly on Tuesday admitted an adjournment motion to discuss Zubeen Garg’s death, after Sarma requested Speaker Biswajit Daimary to allow the debate on the first day of the session.
Immediately after obituary references, leader of the Opposition, Debabrata Saikia, and Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi pressed their adjournment motions on the same issue. As the Speaker examined their admissibility, the chief minister intervened, saying the government was equally seized of the matter and urged the Chair to permit a discussion.
Zubeen Garg, one of Assam’s most celebrated musicians, died in Singapore on September 19, 2025.
Sarma said investigators sensed irregularities right after the death. “Right after the death, we felt something was amiss. That is why we registered an FIR under BNS sections 61 (criminal conspiracy), 105 (culpable homicide), and 106 (causing death by rash and negligent act),” he said.
He added that even in the initial stages, the Assam Police believed it was “a plain and simple murder.” Within 48 hours of filing the FIR, the state government asked the court to add Section 103, the BNS provision for murder, to the charges.
“Every bail application and every subsequent proceeding has been based on Section 103. The court granted 14-day custody, which was first of its kind, and did not grant bail to any of the accused, which shows that we are not incorrect,” Sarma added.
During the discussion, Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi demanded that the government reveal the names of those involved in the alleged murder. He also accused the state government of funding Shyamkanu Mahanta’s Northeast India Festival (NEIF), a charge Sarma denied, asserting that the government had not paid any money to the event.
Gogoi further urged the state to propose Bharat Ratna for Zubeen Garg, a suggestion supported by leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia.
Responding to this, Sarma said he was open to moving such a proposal, but “in a proper manner and not during an adjournment motion discussion.”
