Over 100 people gathered near the Assam Secretariat demanding justice for Zubeen Garg. Their removal by police intensified calls for further legal action against the accused.
Stock photo used for illustration
Guwahati,Oct 20, 2026 16:12 IST
More than 100 people from different sections of society gathered outside the Assam Secretariat on Tuesday to form a human chain demanding punishment for those responsible for singer-songwriter Zubeen Garg's death in Singapore last year, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Police prevented the group from demonstrating outside the secretariat and took the protesters away in buses. Garg died under mysterious circumstances while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19 last year, when he was visiting the country for the fourth North East India Festival.
The gathering followed an appeal by Sivasagar MLA and Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, who had urged people to assemble outside the secretariat and press for "justice" for Garg. He said the protest was not being organised under the banner of any political party but was a public initiative. Gogoi had also urged the chief minister to allow the democratic protest.
According to PTI, the protesters raised slogans and displayed placards reading "Justice for Zubeen Garg" as the police took them away in buses.
Last week, Gogoi had convened a meeting at Zubeen Kshetra, Garg's cremation ground on the outskirts of Guwahati. A 21-member committee was formed after the meeting to demand punishment for those responsible for the singer's death.
The meeting decided to press the government to file a supplementary charge sheet and ensure exemplary punishment for those found guilty. The committee also decided to take legal steps to challenge the bail granted to the accused and continue the public movement.
A special investigation team of the Assam Police's Criminal Investigation Department investigated Garg's death after more than 60 first information reports were registered across the state.
The team filed a charge sheet before a local court in Guwahati in December last year, naming seven accused. Four of them face murder charges.
Those named in the charge sheet are North East India Festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg's manager Siddharth Sharma, band members Amritprava Mahanta and Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, his cousin and suspended deputy superintendent of police Sandipon Garg, and personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya.
Amritprava Mahanta and Sandipon Garg secured bail from the Gauhati High Court and have been released from judicial custody. The Assam government has said it will challenge the High Court's decision in the Supreme Court.
Morigaon-based lawyer Ratul Bora, who filed the first police complaint after Garg's death in Singapore, told PTI that he would also approach the Supreme Court against the bail orders.
The two personal security officers were granted bail in a disproportionate assets case in September but remain in jail in connection with the singer's death.
Singapore Police conducted a separate investigation and concluded that there was no evidence of foul play. A Singapore court also said Garg was severely intoxicated and drowned off Lazarus Island after declining to wear a life jacket.
Assam authorities have maintained that the findings of the Singapore Police investigation will not affect the case in the state. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had told the state Assembly that Garg's death was a case of "plain and simple murder".
The latest protest sought further legal action and punishment for those found responsible for Garg's death, while the Assam government prepares to challenge the bail granted to two of the accused.
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