- By Chetna Shree
- Fri, 26 Sep 2025 03:50 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Zubeen Garg Death: Musician Shekhar Jyoti Goswami was taken into custody for questioning in connection with the death of popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg. The 52-year-old singer, who was reportedly on the same yacht trip as Goswami, died on September 19 during a swimming incident in Singapore, where he was slated to perform at the Northeast India Festival.
The Assam Police’s State Investigation Team (SIT) detained Goswami on the same day they raided homes of the Northeast India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma as part of the ongoing investigation into the death case.
Who Is Shekhar Jyoti Goswami?
Shekhar Jyoti Goswami is a drummer and long-time bandmate of Zubeen Garg, NDTV reported. According to his Instagram bio, Goswami is a sound engineer, music producer, and computer hardware engineer.
He was reportedly present on the same yacht trip as Zubeen in Singapore. After returning, he spoke to the local media, sharing details of the incident. He stated that after Zubeen went swimming, he was found floating face down in the water for a while. Goswami quickly approached the singer, turned him and saw "white liquid coming out of his mouth and nose."
Goswami said he held the singer’s head up and noticed that “if he moved Zubeen’s head to the right, it would droop to the right, and if he moved it to the left, it would droop to the left.” Soon after, he called for help.
Zubeen Garg's Death Investigation: What We Know So Far
- The Assam government has formed a 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Special DGP Munna Prasad Gupta to investigate Zubeen Garg’s death.
- The Assam SIT detained Musician Shekhar Jyoti Goswami on Thursday in connection with the death of Zubeen Garg. However, authorities have yet to disclose the details of why Goswami has been detained, Hindustan Times reported.
- On the same day, the Assam SIT raided the residences of Northeast India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma. Neither of them was present at their respective residences.
- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that if the SIT probe is deemed “unsatisfactory” at any stage, the Assam government will seek a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the case.
- Sarma added that everyone who accompanied Zubeen Garg, including members of the Assam Association in Singapore and the Northeast India Festival organiser, will be questioned by the SIT.
- A post-mortem conducted in Singapore confirmed drowning as the cause of death. A second autopsy was performed at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on September 23, and the results are still pending.
Garg was cremated with full state honours and 21 21-gun salute on Tuesday in Sonapur, Assam. Chief Minister Sarma, MP Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, along with other ministers and artists, bowed their heads and joined thousands of fans in singing Mayabini as they paid their final respects to the singer.