Zubeen Garg death: Assam prohibits North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta from holding any event in State

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma connected Wednesday (September 24, 2025) said that the State volition beryllium prohibiting Shyamkanu Mahanta and immoderate organisation associated with him from holding immoderate functions oregon festivals wrong Assam. This comes little than a week aft the passing distant of Assamese vocalist Zubeen Garg successful Singapore, wherever helium was slated to enactment successful the North East Festival. Mr. Mahanta has been the organiser of the North East India Festival since 2013.

Garg died successful Singapore connected September 19, 2025 during a yacht travel with 17 others, including 2 unit members. A non-invasive autopsy conducted connected the land concluded that the origin of decease was “drowning.” He was to execute astatine the ongoing North East Festival a time later.

Garg’s abrupt demise sent shockwaves crossed Assam, with galore demanding an autarkic inquiry into the matter. After Garg’s remains were brought backmost to India, the State Government decided to behaviour a 2nd autopsy pursuing a request from fans, who fishy Garg, battling ill-health, was made to spell swimming contempt instructions from his doctors to support him distant from h2o and fire.

According to an earlier study by The Hindu, Garg is alleged to person been emotionally blackmailed into performing astatine the 4th North East India Festival successful Singapore. The amusement was cancelled aft his death.

Additionally, much than 50 archetypal accusation reports were filed against Mr. Mahanta, the festival’s main organiser, and Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma. The State authorities instructed the Crime Investigation Department to nine each the FIRs and probe the circumstances that led to Garg’s death.

Also work | Guwahati unites successful grief arsenic fans wage past respects to Zubeen Garg

Among respective organisations, the Assam Citizens’ Forum has demanded an impartial probe into Garg’s decease done a sheet comprising erstwhile constabulary officers, transgression experts, judges, and lawyers.

“The State Government volition not supply immoderate fiscal grant, advertisement, oregon sponsorship to immoderate lawsuit with which helium [Mr. Mahanta] is associated, either straight oregon indirectly. The State Government volition besides petition the Government of India not to widen immoderate fiscal assistance oregon sponsorship to him successful immoderate manner,” Mr. Sarma further said successful his station connected X today.

North East India Festival an effort to beforehand trade, tourism

Mr. Mahanta has been the main organiser of the North East Festival since 2013. Over the years, the festival has expanded from its archetypal determination successful New Delhi to respective cities crossed the world. The archetypal variation of NEIF was held successful Bangkok successful 2019 and again successful the aforesaid metropolis aft a spread of 2 years successful 2022 portion the 3rd variation was held successful Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City successful 2023.

This year’s variation was expected to people the 60th day of India–Singapore diplomatic relations and besides coincided with the India-ASEAN Year of Tourism.

In a connection to PTI Mr. Mahanta had described the festival arsenic “an effort to link Northeast India with Southeast Asia to beforehand industry, trade, tourism and cultivation products from the region.” After we organised the festival successful Thailand, a nonstop formation betwixt Bangkok and Guwahati started, helium said.

Apart from this, Mr. Mahanta besides heads MMS Advisory Pvt. Ltd., a task absorption consultancy firm. He has antecedently been felicitated by the erstwhile CM of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal during an yearly Convention of Tour Operators Association of Assam successful 2019.

Mahanata distances aforesaid from Garg’s accident

Following Garg’s accident, Mr. Mahanta and his squad successful a connection connected Facebook had stated that had nary anterior accusation of Garg taking the yacht trip.

“Zubeen had told the festival organising squad that helium wanted to spell to Singapore and we arranged for his enactment astatine a hotel,” Mr. Mahanta told PTI from the land nation. “He had not travel for the festival unsocial but had besides made his ain plans with members of the Assam Association successful Singapore,” Mr. Mahanta claimed.

Garg had spoken to members of the Assam Association from the northeastern State itself and had made plans with them to sojourn places and unbend earlier participating successful the festival, helium said.

“He was besides not expected to springiness a full-fledged show but wanted to meet, interact with radical and sing a fewer songs for them,” Mr. Mahanta said.

Garg did not adjacent bring his full squad of musicians but lone his relative Sandeepan Garg, his manager Siddhartha Sharma and lone 1 musician, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, helium said.

“We had not asked him to execute astatine the festival, but helium ever attended our events, whether successful India oregon abroad. He felt it was his duty, arsenic a salient fig from the Northeast, to correspond the portion and springiness retired a affirmative connection astir the portion from each platforms,” helium claimed.

Mr. Mahanta claimed that a conception of radical was trying to peddle a mendacious narrative.

“I privation to marque it wide that Zubeen Garg had travel connected his ain escaped will. There are videos circulating connected societal media claiming that helium had already performed successful Singapore, which is not existent arsenic our lawsuit was scheduled to statesman connected Friday and helium had not participated successful immoderate lawsuit earlier the mishap occurred,” helium said.

“Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has besides mentioned that I was not contiguous with Zubeen during the incident,” Mahanta said.

(With inputs from PTI)