Chief Information Commissioner of Assam and former state DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta has resigned amid intensifying investigations into the death of singer Zubeen Garg, following allegations linking his brother to the case.
Mahanta, a 1988-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IPS officer, stepped down after receiving several RTI applications concerning his brother, Shyamkanu Mahanta, who organised the North East India Festival in Singapore, where Garg tragically drowned on September 19.
The resignation came after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reportedly advised Mahanta to step aside due to a potential conflict of interest. This move marks a major development as the probe enters a deeper and more sensitive phase.
Shyamkanu Mahanta has been formally charged for his alleged role in organising the event and its logistics, with investigators now questioning the safety protocols and arrangements at the festival.
So far, seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the case. Those arrested in connection with the case include Sandipan Garg, Zubeen Garg’s cousin and a Deputy Superintendent in the Assam Police, the singer’s band manager Siddharth Sharma, two members of his band – Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta – and two private security personnel, Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya, who were detained after investigators found suspicious financial transactions of over Rs 1.1 crore in their bank accounts. All accused are currently in judicial custody until November 11.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated that Zubeen Garg’s death is being treated as a case of murder, not an accident, and assured that a chargesheet will be filed by December 17. A 10-member special investigation team, headed by Special Director-General Munna Gupta, is leading the ongoing probe.
