HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Nov 7: Nearly fifty days after the untimely demise of legendary singer Zubeen Garg, his former longtime manager, Tarsame Mittal, appeared on Friday before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Guwahati to record his statement.
Mittal was summoned as part of the ongoing probe into the circumstances surrounding the artist’s death, in which the state-government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been interrogating a number of individuals connected to Garg’s professional circle.
Related Posts:
These questioning sessions are reportedly examining potential financial and managerial irregularities that came to light after Garg’s demise.
Mittal, who had managed Garg’s professional affairs for a long period, was replaced by Siddharth Sharma, who is currently in judicial custody.
Significantly, sources said that Sharma entered Garg’s management fold through a recommendation from Mittal, and that the two shared a close professional relationship — a connection that may yield key insights into the financial dealings under investigation.
There have been serious questions as why Tarsame Mittal was not being called by the SIT despite he was related to Siddharth Sharma, Garg’s manager.
According to sources, the late singer bought a number of properties in Guwahati including his Jonali studio and land in Kharguli when Mittal was his manager.
The house in Kharguli is under construction and Garg’s wish to stay on the banks of Brahmaputra could not be fulfilled as his life was cut short during the sea outing in Singapore.
On September 19, Zubeen Garg died in Singapore while on a visit as brand ambassador for the North East India Festival.
The Singapore death certificate lists “drowning” as the cause of death.
The Assam government on September 25 formed an SIT to probe the case.
Most recently, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma declared that Garg’s death would be treated as a murder case, rather than a misadventure.
He set a deadline of December 8 for the SIT to submit its chargesheet, and said that because the incident happened on foreign soil, approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is required before charges can be formally filed.
At this stage, the investigation encompasses both the events leading up to the singer’s death and alleged irregularities in his financial and managerial domain.
Mittal’s deposition is seen as a key piece in the puzzle, given his prior role and connection to the incoming manager.
The SIT’s work aims to uncover whether negligence, criminal conspiracy, or other serious lapses played a role in this tragic case — and deliver accountability for what the chief minister has described as a homicide.
