Gauhati High Court grants bail to suspended Assam DSP in Zubeen Garg death case

The Gauhati High Court on October 16 granted bail to suspended Assam Police Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sandipan Garg, an accused in the death case of celebrated singer Zubeen Garg.

A single bench of Justice Rajesh Mazumdar granted bail to Sandipan Garg after hearing his petition; senior advocate Anan Kumar Bhuyan, who represented him, told PTI.

“The court has not read out the full order. We are awaiting the detailed judgment to know on what grounds the bail was granted,” Bhuyan said.

He added that the high court was separately hearing a petition seeking to quash the chargesheet against Sandipan Garg, who is a cousin of the deceased singer.

The suspended police officer has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. According to his counsel, Garg is likely to be released after the Durga Puja holidays, as the court will remain closed from Saturday and some formalities are yet to be completed.

On October 9, the high court granted bail to another accused in the case, Amrit Prabha Mahanta, against a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount. She has since been released from jail.

Earlier, on September 23, a special court granted bail to the singer’s two personal security officers (PSOs), Nandeswar Borah and Paresh Baishya, in a disproportionate assets case. However, they continue to remain in jail in connection with Zubeen Garg’s death.

The celebrated singer died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19, 2025, while swimming in the sea. He had travelled to the Southeast Asian country to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival.

Those arrested in connection with the case include festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, singer’s manager Siddharth Sharma, band member Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, Amrit Prabha Mahanta, Sandipan Garg and the two PSOs.

The accused face charges under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy and causing death by negligence. The charges differ for each accused, with Sandipan Garg facing one charge, according to the prosecution’s case as outlined in the report.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Assam Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigated the singer’s death after more than 60 FIRs were registered across the state.

The Singapore Police Force, which conducted a separate investigation, concluded that there was no evidence of foul play. A Coroner’s Court in Singapore also ruled out foul play, finding that the singer was severely intoxicated and drowned off Lazarus Island after declining a life jacket.

Authorities in Assam have maintained that the findings of the Singapore investigation would not affect the case being pursued in the state.