"Shekhar Jyoti Goswami extorted money from producers", claims artist Prasenjit Lahon

In a startling revelation, renowned Assamese artist Prasenjit Lahon has levelled serious allegations against musician Shekharjyoti Goswami and others during a Facebook Live session, calling for a thorough investigation into the alleged malpractice surrounding the late music legend Zubeen Garg’s professional circle.

Lahon claimed that ongoing investigations have identified Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma and entrepreneur Shyamkanu Mahanta as the alleged key figures in the controversy. According to him, both individuals were arrested on the same day Zubeen’s Adyosradha ceremony was held in Jorhat. Alongside them, Amritprabha Mahanta and Shekharjyoti Goswami were also reportedly taken into custody by the Assam Police.

Speaking about the individuals involved, Lahon clarified that he had never personally met Amritprabha Mahanta, remarking that “she doesn’t appear to be an artist.” However, he confirmed that he had interacted with Shekharjyoti Goswami several times, both in person and over the phone, regarding work-related matters.

Lahon alleged that Goswami, who served as the recordist at Zubeen Garg’s studio, had been extorting Rs 3,000–Rs5,000 from each producer per song recorded. He further added that Goswami, a resident of Gariaon, Jalukbari, collected the amount as a travel charge for recording services at Zubeen’s studio.

The artist went on to highlight Zubeen Garg’s unmatched dedication to music, revealing that the singer recorded five to six songs daily even while battling poor health. Remarkably, he mentioned that Zubeen once recorded 36 songs in a single day at Jorhat’s DCG Studio in 2005 — a record-worthy feat that could have entered the Guinness Book of World Records, had proper documentation been maintained.

Recounting his own experience, Lahon said that last year, he had recorded five songs with renowned lyricist Arup Dutta, after which the production responsibilities were handed over to Goswami. However, he alleged that Shekharjyoti became unresponsive, repeatedly postponing recording schedules and making excuses such as being unwell or unavailable.

Lahon further remarked that had Zubeen not worked with Shekharjyoti, he might have recorded as many as one lakh songs by now, alleging that the recordist ran a business and engaged in brokerage under the guise of music recording.

In his concluding statement, Prasenjit Lahon appealed to the Assam government to ensure a fair and transparent probe into the alleged irregularities linked to Zubeen Garg’s professional and personal circle, stressing that the late artist’s legacy deserves justice and protection from exploitation.