It’s been exactly a year since Assam lost its biggest musical sensation, Zubeen Garg, in a beach accident in Singapore, where he had gone to perform at the Northeast Festival.
A year after the death of Zubeen Garg, Assam’s most popular singer and cultural icon, his music reverberates across the state, while a murder case involving seven accused is under trial in a fast-track court in Guwahati.
Garg died in Singapore on September 19 last year after collapsing during the second swim near Singapore’s Lazarus Island. Despite immediate rescue efforts and CPR, he was pronounced dead at the Singapore General Hospital.
On receiving the news, Assam was plunged into grief; The entire state remained shut for a week.
His death has triggered an unprecedented wave of mourning in Assam. His body was brought to Kamarkuchi in Sonapur near Guwahati on September 21 last year and an estimated 1.5 lakh people attended his final pilgrimage.
His cremation witnessed a record-breaking turnout that not only shocked the entire country, but the entire world took notice.
Singaporean authorities concluded that Garg’s death was an accidental drowning and found no evidence of foul play, while the Assam police are prosecuting the case as an alleged murder.
However, both investigations revealed that Garg had attended a private yacht outing near Singapore’s Lazarus Island a day before attending the North East India Festival.
Fans and members of the public, questioning the circumstances of his death, saw more than 60 First Information Reports filed in Assam and later filed across Assam.
The Assam government has constituted a special investigation team to investigate the complaints. Within weeks, the investigation shifted to a murder theory.
Between 1 and 10 October, the Assam Police arrested seven people in connection with the case, including Singapore festival organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma, musicians Amritprabha Mahanta and Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, his cousin Sandeepan Garg and two of his personal security officers.
The accused faced charges including murder, culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy and financial crimes.
The SIT later filed a 2,500-page charge sheet, with the total case documents amounting to more than 12,000 pages.
In the court proceedings that followed, the four accused were charged with murder, Sandeepan Garg with premeditated murder, while two private security officers faced charges including criminal conspiracy. All seven have pleaded not guilty.
In an inquest in Singapore, the Singapore Police Force concluded that there was no foul play and said that Garg had drowned after taking off his life jacket. Toxicology testing found a blood alcohol concentration of 333 milligrams per 100 milliliters, which Singapore authorities said was consistent with severe intoxication and impaired coordination.
In March 2026, a Singapore court ruled Garg’s death an accidental drowning, finding no evidence of foul play, force or poisoning.
However, the legal battle continues in Assam.
The Guwahati High Court has constituted a special fast-track sessions court to hear the case. In May, charges were formally filed against all seven defendants, who pleaded not guilty.
A separate judicial commission headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia has also started an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Garg’s death.
More than 100 witnesses have already been questioned, the trial is ongoing.
For Garg’s family and his fans, the legal action has become a long search for answers.
In the Assam elections earlier this year, the opposition tried to turn the demand for justice for Zubeen Garg into the electoral arena; However, the BJP returned to power with a huge majority.