Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, has written to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking her intervention for a CBI probe into the sudden demise of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg in Singapore on September 19.
Saikia demanded that the investigation be monitored by a sitting or retired judge of the Gauhati High Court, arguing that only judicial oversight could ensure accountability in what he described as a case filled with “suspicious circumstances”.
In his letter, the Congress leader expressed serious concern over the way events unfolded around Garg’s death. He said while the Assam CID has been entrusted with investigating the matter, the fact that the incident occurred in Singapore posed “serious jurisdictional limitations” that the state police cannot overcome without central and international support.
Saikia alleged that Garg, before leaving for Singapore, had confided to close associates that he was under “significant pressure” to travel, breaking from his usual practice of being accompanied by family or a larger entourage.
He also raised doubts over the role of festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, who had initially promoted Garg’s participation in an event abroad but later claimed the singer had travelled “only to take rest.” According to Saikia, such contradictions raise questions about the real purpose of Garg’s trip.
Pointing to the singer’s known medical history of seizure disorders, Saikia questioned why he was reportedly encouraged to swim without a life jacket during a yacht outing — the episode that triggered his fatal seizure. He described this as an act of recklessness that may not have been accidental. “The systematic planning — coercion before travel, isolation without family, contradictions by organisers, and exploitation of his medical vulnerability — all point towards a calculated elimination,” Saikia wrote in his letter.
The Congress veteran went on to connect Garg’s untimely death with his outspoken political positions. He recalled how the singer had emerged as one of the strongest voices during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) movement in Assam, vowing publicly that he would never allow the controversial law to be implemented in the state. Saikia argued that such defiance made him a “potential target for elimination,” since his cultural influence carried political weight far beyond his music.
Appealing to the President to ensure a fair and transparent probe, Saikia insisted that only a CBI-led investigation, supported by technical expertise and international cooperation, could address the unanswered questions. He added that judicial monitoring by the Gauhati High Court was necessary to restore public confidence. “Along with millions of people in Assam, I too demand justice for this revolutionary cultural icon,” Saikia said, stressing that the probe must uncover who pressured Garg to travel, why the organisers altered their accounts, who was aware of his medical condition, and what political motives might have existed for silencing his voice.
The death of Zubeen Garg, one of Assam’s most celebrated singers and cultural figures, has plunged the state into mourning. His funeral at Sonapur drew lakhs of grieving fans, many of whom continue to call for a full and impartial investigation. For Saikia and others, only a central agency under judicial supervision can answer the questions surrounding the fate of the man who was not just an artist, but the voice of a generation.