Assam opposition leader Debabrata Saikia has urged President Droupadi Murmu to launch a CBI investigation into the sudden death of beloved singer Zubeen Garg. In a letter sent Wednesday, Saikia called for the probe to be headed by a High Court judge, working alongside the Assam CID, to uncover the truth behind what he suspects was no accident.
Zubeen Garg, a cultural icon in Assam known for his powerful voice in music and activism, died on September 19 in Singapore after a drowning incident. He had traveled there for the Northeast India Festival. His body arrived in Guwahati on Sunday morning via a commercial flight from Delhi, leaving fans and the state in mourning.
Saikia painted Garg as more than just a singer—he was a fierce critic of government policies, especially the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019. Garg once declared, “I will die but won’t allow the CAA in Assam,” and he led anti-CAA protests, wrote protest songs, and spoke out against environmental damage. Saikia believes this made Garg a target for foul play.
The main hurdle, Saikia noted, is that the death happened abroad, creating big jurisdictional roadblocks for Assam police. “The investigation relies on diplomatic channels the state can’t handle alone,” he wrote, stressing the need for central government help to gather international evidence.
Saikia raised red flags about early clues pointing to coercion. Garg reportedly told close friends he felt pressured to head to Singapore with just a small group, ditching his usual travel routine and leaving behind his normal security. Festival organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta has given conflicting stories too—promotional materials hyped Garg’s performance, but Mahanta later said he only went to relax. Accounts differ on whether it was scuba diving or simple swimming, and organizers claimed they knew nothing about the yacht trip where the fatal incident happened.
Adding to the mystery, Garg had a well-known seizure disorder that barred him from water activities, as his wife confirmed. Yet, he was pushed to swim without a life jacket on his second try, with no family around to watch over his health. Saikia said the outcome matched Garg’s medical risks exactly, suggesting a pattern: pressure to travel, isolation from loved ones, organizer flip-flops, and more that scream “calculated elimination” of Assam’s strongest activist voice.
On the government side, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced Wednesday that he’s ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from the state police. In a post on X, Sarma said he met with the Director General of Police and other top officials, directing them to form the SIT with Assam’s top officers. “We will not spare anyone in the untimely death of our beloved Zubeen Garg,” he wrote. The team will investigate with full independence and professionalism. Viscera samples from the body are heading to the Central Forensic Laboratory in Delhi for a thorough check.
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