A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Assam Police, probing the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg during the Northeast India Festival in Singapore last week, carried out raids on the houses of Northeast India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and longtime manager Siddharth Sharma. The latter has now written an open letter on Facebook, addressing allegations regarding Zubeen Garg's catalogue ownership and earnings from his creative work.
Open Letter By Siddharth Sharma
Zubeen Garg's manager shared his side of the story concerning claims of song ownership. The late singer recorded works estimated to around 38,000 songs, which are contractually owned by various music labels and production houses.
He added, "Almost all of Zubeen da's songs, even the biggest blockbusters, were done before I entered his life. He often lamented how he was shortchanged, with producers and labels earning crores while he received only modest payments. This can be verified with those companies directly."
Further explaining why Zubeen Garg LLP was launched in the first place to protect ownership of his songs, the manager added, "In 2021, he wanted to at least retain ownership of some of his later works, and that is why Zubeen Garg Music LLP was formed. This is the first and only business we ever partnered with. We have released over 20 songs under this entity, with a total investment of about Rs 10 lakhs, of which Zubeen da invested Rs 6 lakhs. The revenue from these songs is only a few thousand dollars every month. Every rupee goes into the company account, and no one has ever withdrawn a single penny. Zubeen da owned 60% of the LLP, and it will be my privilege to ensure that the remaining balance is also transferred to his family."
Fear For His Life After Zubeen Garg's Death And Ongoing Financial Speculation
Siddharth added that he is ready to "account for every rupee in front of the authorities and his family".
He said, "As soon as there is an assurance of my safety and a fair opportunity to present the facts, I will come to Guwahati and place my side before the SIT and before the people. The media quickly began projecting me as a culprit, and I started receiving death threats, hate messages, and abuse. Friends and family urged me not to come to Guwahati, and I had to stay back in Delhi."
About The Special Investigation Team Probe
After the raids were carried out on Friday, the latest report, according to sources, is that the SIT has also issued summons to a dozen other people from Assam who had accompanied the singer on the yacht. They have been asked to join the investigation by 6 October.
On Friday, the SIT carried out raids at Northeast India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta's residence for the second consecutive day, and a case has been registered against him under various sections, including criminal conspiracy.
Zubeen Garg's manager, Siddharth Sharma, who is allegedly on the run, has been the singer's manager since 2014. He has been accused of acquiring wealth and properties worth several crores. The situation escalated last night when the police had to resort to baton charges to disperse a mob.
How Did Zubeen Garg Die?
Zubeen Garg died on September 19, 2025 at the age of 52.
Initial reports suggested that Zubeen Garg died while scuba diving. A representative of the North East India Festival in Singapore told NDTV, "It is with deep sadness that we share the news of Zubeen Garg's passing."
"While scuba diving, he experienced breathing difficulties and was immediately given CPR before being rushed to Singapore General Hospital. Despite efforts to save him, he was declared deceased in the ICU around 2.30 pm IST," Anuj Kumar Boruah said.
However, fresh details have since emerged suggesting otherwise.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the singer died while swimming in the sea without a life jacket.
According to PTI, Sharma said, "Zubeen died while swimming without a life jacket," adding that Singapore authorities will question the people who had accompanied the singer for swimming.
Manager Siddharth Sharma also said there is a video in which Zubeen Garg is seen jumping into the sea from a yacht wearing a life jacket.
"After the 1 minute 26 second mark in the video, Zubeen Garg can be seen returning to the yacht. According to reports, he jumped into the sea for the second time, but after taking off the life jacket, saying it was uncomfortable swimming with it on," the Chief Minister added.
Moments later, Garg was found floating in the sea, unresponsive. He was rushed to Singapore General Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead around 2:30 pm Indian time.
The organisers of the North East India Festival also issued a statement underlining that they were unaware of the yacht visit before the accident.
The statement read, "Earlier today, our entire team was engaged in a business meeting with senior Singaporean industrialists and policymakers at the Shangri-La Hotel to facilitate investments in Northeast India. During the meeting, we received a call from Zubeen's manager informing us that he had met with an accident and had been rushed to Singapore General Hospital. We later learned that a few members of the local Assamese community had taken him on a yacht visit, of which we had no prior knowledge," the statement further read.
In A Nutshell
Amid an ongoing probe into Zubeen Garg's death, his manager Siddharth Sharma has been accused of acquiring wealth and ownership of songs. His house was raided by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), and he has been on the run. He issued an official statement addressing all the allegations in an open letter yesterday.
