Northeast Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta has approached the Supreme Court seeking CBI probe and protection from arrest after multiple first information reports (FIRs) were lodged against him in connection with the death of singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore.
Mahanta, who has been organising the Northeast Festival since 2013, said that he has been falsely implicated after Garg’s sudden death on September 19, 2025, while holidaying with family and friends on a yacht in Singapore. He pointed out that the singer was scheduled to perform at his festival on September 20 but the incident had nothing to do with the event, and that Singaporean authorities who probed the matter have not found any foul play.
The plea states that more than 54 FIRs have been filed against Mahanta across Assam and other states. These cases accuse him of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide merely because he was the festival organiser.The petition stresses that he was at the event venue with dignitaries, including the Chief Minister of Meghalaya and Indian High Commission officials when the mishap occurred, and only learnt about it through a phone call from Garg’s manager.
Mahanta has alleged that the criminal process is being misused to turn public outrage into a witch-hunt. He said that the Assam government formed a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe his role, while senior state executives, including the Chief Minister, made public remarks declaring that no festivals linked to him would be permitted in Assam. According to the plea, such comments have prejudiced the investigation and destroyed any chance of a fair probe.
The petition also raises concerns of a trial by media, citing television debates, hashtags such as #JusticeForZubeen and morphed videos that portrayed him as guilty. Mahanta has flagged that the All Assam Lawyers’ Association even passed a resolution asking its members not to represent the accused in the case, a move that he argues strikes at the foundation of the right to legal representation.The organiser further said that he has been subjected to direct threats, including messages warning him that he would be killed if he returned to Assam. He added that instead of granting him protection, the Assam CID has issued a Look-Out Circular against him, effectively barring him from returning home.
Calling the accusations baseless, Mahanta has urged the Supreme Court to consolidate all FIRs and transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the National Investigation Agency (NIA), under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge. He has also asked for protection against arrest and coercive measures, suspension of the Look-Out Circular and directions to media outlets to refrain from unverified reporting until the investigation is complete.
Mahanta was reportedly arrested shortly after filing the plea. His legal team says that the plea will be amended to that effect.
Garg was in Singapore for a scheduled performance at the Northeast India Festival when he suffered a medical emergency while swimming in the sea. Singaporean authorities issued a death certificate listing drowning as the official cause and an autopsy report shared with India confirmed it as a swimming accident with no evidence of foul play.
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