Even all political parties, not to speak of millions of fans and well-wishers of Assam’s revered cultural icon Zubeen Garg, continue preaching for sparing the maverick singer’s name in doing politics, his mysterious death last year in a foreign land may dominate the electoral politics in the forthcoming legislative polls. Indications surface that Assam assembly elections (scheduled for March-April 2026 along with West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry) will observe a high voltage campaigning on Zubeen’s unexplained demise in Singapore on 19 September 2025 and subsequent investigation and judicial processes. Even after five months of his final departure, Zubeen continues to influence the young people in their social media outbursts demanding justice and nothing else. As the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), precisely State chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, faces backlash for ‘mishandling’ the icon’s sudden death issue, the prime opposition party recently filed a series of charges including the demand for a prompt justice to the bereaved family of Zubeen. Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), while releasing the Chargesheet 2026 targeting the BJP-led government in Dispur, highlighted the inefficient way of investigations into Zubeen’s unsolved death issue. The party, once ruled Assam and other north-eastern States for decades with little oppositions, also raised the issue of rising public debts, illegal wealth concentrations, failure to deliver on promises for Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Moran, Motok, Chutia and Tea Tribes people, inactions on various irregularities detected by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, closure of government schools, along with others.
During the recent visit of senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Assam, the Wayanad Parliamentarian raised the issue of Zubeen stating that the legendary king of humming always stayed away from politics and hence there should be no politics over his unfortunate death. Ms Priyanka did not forget to visit Samadhi Kshetra of Zubeen at Sonapur locality near Guwahati to pay tribute to the departed soul. Personally attacking CM Sarma for pursuing politics of polarization, the Gandhi scion denounced the relentless mental harassment to APCC chief Gaurav Gogoi and his family over their gratuitous Pakistan links. She also visited the sacred Shakti Peeth atop NIlachal hills in the heart of Guwahati to seek eternal blessings from Devi Kamakhya. The Assam police team had already arrested seven individuals suspecting their involvement in the alleged ‘murder’ of Zubeen as he was in the island nation to perform in the 4th North East India Festival, scheduled for 19, 20 and 21 September 2025. All the accused including Shyamkanu Mahanta (festival organizer) Siddharth Sharma (manager), Shekhar Jyoti Goswami (bandmate), Amritprava Mahanta (co-singer), Sandipan Garg and two personal security officers still remain under the judicial custody. A special investigative team, formed under top Assam police officers, also travelled to Singapore to collect material for the probe and later filed a thousand-page chargesheet in the court.
The bereaved family had written a letter to the PMO on 24 January urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate for constituting a special court to expedite the concerned trials. Garima Saikia Garg, wife of the singer, expressed concern over delays in the trial at the local court. Earlier, during a media interaction, Ms Garg expressed worries as distressing news relating to Zubeen’s death surfaced from Singapore stating that he died while being ‘severely intoxicated’ and swimming in the sea without a mandatory life jacket. Pointing to a media report from Singapore stating that there was no foul play at Zubeen’s demise, they insisted on facilitating appropriate diplomatic intervention in Singapore to unearth circumstances that prompted the disaster. The recently concluded four-day budget session in the State legislative assembly also witnessed the opposition leaders demonstrating for a fast-track trial and justice for Zubeen. Earlier, APCC chief criticised Sarma for alleging a murder conspiracy to Zubeen’s death, arguing that Singapore’s findings contradicted such claims. Gogoi asked whom now the Assamese public should believe as Singapore authorities repeatedly stated there was no evidence of unnatural death. Responding to the criticism, Sarma said the Assam investigation was independent of Singapore’s. He also insisted that politicians should refrain from speculation since the matter remains in the court.
Will Zubeen dominate electoral issues !
