Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the cooperation of the Assamese people based in Singapore was vital for the investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg.

The singer-composer, scheduled to perform at the North East India Festival (NEIF) in Singapore, died while swimming off an island on September 19.

The Assam Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had asked members of the Assamese Association in Singapore, who were with Garg on a yacht on that fateful day, to appear before it for questioning by October 6.

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“If the Assamese people in Singapore do not come to Assam, the probe cannot be conducted properly. The local community must encourage them to participate so that the truth can be revealed. Their cooperation is crucial for joining the dots,” the Chief Minister told journalists on Saturday (October 4, 2025) night.

He also said Garg’s well-wishers and fans should exert pressure on the parents of the Assamese Association members in Singapore to come to the State for the probe.

The Chief Minister, however, stated that the investigators would gain a clearer understanding of what had happened to Garg after receiving the viscera report from New Delhi on October 10.

Mr. Sarma made light of the claim by Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, Garg’s drummer, who was on the yacht, that the singer-composer was poisoned. “Witnesses can say anything in their statements. The role of the police is to record statements in the case diary, and the investigation will determine whether an accused is trying to defend himself or mislead the probe team,” he said.

Mr. Goswami was arrested on October 2 along with Garg’s co-singer Amritprabha Mahanta, two days after the main accused — Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma and the festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta — were arrested in the National Capital Region. All four have been sent to 14-day police custody.

Two more summoned

On Sunday, the Special Investigation Team summoned two women from Assam’s entertainment industry for additional inputs in the probe into Garg’s death.

While actor Vaishali Medhi reached the CID office accompanied by her mother, singer Meghna Borpuzari, who performed with Garg as a co-vocalist for three years, came along.

“I came here because I was called by a CID officer to record my statement. I cannot say anything more,” Ms Medhi told journalists outside the CID office.

On Saturday, the CID summoned senior journalist Pranay Bordoloi and grilled him for about five hours. He had gone to Singapore to cover the NEIF organised by Shyamkanu Mahanta.

An investigating officer said more people associated with Garg may be summoned.