Leading members of Assam’s film fraternity on Friday lodged a complaint with the state CID seeking a thorough probe into the death of singer-composer Zubeen Garg in Singapore and “appropriate legal action” against those allegedly responsible “for murder, abetment of murder and causing death” of the cultural icon.
The fraternity is the latest to join the swelling demand for “justice” for Zubeen, whose death on September 19 brought the state to a standstill for four days. The Opposition Congress and the Assam Jatiya Parishad have already sought a CBI inquiry.
The complaint, submitted on Friday afternoon to the officer-in-charge of the CID police station here, bore the signatures of 30 industry personalities, including actors Jatin Bora and Ravi Sarma, and scriptwriter Tridib Lahon.
The trio told The Telegraph that the death of Zubeen, described as “Assam’s asset”, must be thoroughly investigated and the guilty brought to book.
Sarma alleged that event organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and Zubeen’s manager Siddharth Sharma were “professionally responsible” for the death because, despite knowing his health conditions, they failed to take adequate care.
The actor further claimed Mahanta proceeded with the festival, allegedly changing its name but retaining the venue, despite Zubeen’s demise — an act he described as “highly condemnable”.
Both Sarma and Bora, leading stars of the Assamese film industry, were close to Zubeen, who had also made his mark as an actor and filmmaker.
The complaint alleged that Mahanta had taken Zubeen to Singapore “to perform and attend the North East Festival” despite knowing that he “suffered” from epilepsy, among other ailments.
It also cited videos and reports showing that Assam native Tanmoy Phukan “booked a yacht for a sea ride” despite being aware of Zubeen’s medical condition.
The complaint accused Siddharth Sharma of ignoring doctors’ advice that Zubeen should avoid fire and water, and of encouraging him to dive from the yacht without a life jacket. Bandmate Sekharjyoti Goswami was also accused of similar actions.
The CID has already registered cases against Mahanta and Sharma and searched their residences on Thursday. Goswami was picked up the same day for questioning.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that the inquiry would take 10–15 days.
The chief minister had also noted: “I publicly stated six years ago that certain individuals were using Zubeen for their own benefit. Since the 2024 election campaign, Shyamkanu Mahanta has made several #AntiModi posts. He does not represent the true culture of Assam.”
In a related development, the All Assam Lawyers Association appealed to the legal community to heed their conscience before representing the accused. They should stand with the people, association general secretary Dipak Kumar Das told this newspaper.