Senior Assam legislator and Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi today serious questions over the chargesheet filed in connection with the death of singer Zubeen Garg, asking whether prime accused Siddharth Sharma would ever face the strictest punishment under the law.
Addressing a press conference, Gogoi referred to Chargesheet No. 14/2025 and pointed out that Siddharth Sharma has been booked under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. The section deals with offences that can attract the death penalty. However, Gogoi openly expressed doubt over whether such punishment would ever be awarded in this case.
“The sections mentioned against accused number one are extremely serious. But I am asking the people of Assam: will Siddharth Sharma really get the death sentence?” Gogoi asked. 
According to the chargesheet, Sharma allegedly took Zubeen Garg to the water location while he was under the influence of alcohol. The document states that Garg was made to enter the water without a life jacket, despite doctors advising against such activity due to his medical condition, including epilepsy. Gogoi said the victim’s poor health was repeatedly ignored and his condition was wrongly treated as minor gastric trouble.
The chargesheet further alleges that Garg was taken to several locations, including Mahavir Aqua and Hotel Heritage, to fulfil personal interests of the accused. Gogoi claimed that there was an attempt to misappropriate Garg’s money for business purposes linked to these establishments.
Gogoi also pointed out that those organising the yacht party were not informed about Garg’s health restrictions. He alleged that no preventive steps were taken by Shyamkanu Mahanta, who supplied alcohol despite being aware of Garg’s condition. He further claimed that Amrit Prabha arranged alcohol inside Garg’s hotel room, while the organisers remained unaware of the singer’s medical limitations.
Criticising the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Gogoi said the probe lacked seriousness. He alleged that no statements were recorded from organisers of the Northeast Festival in Singapore, and no proper investigation was conducted at the actual site of the incident.
“The SIT’s entire investigation is based on one bottle of water and one video from Singapore. That is all,” Gogoi said, calling the probe weak and incomplete.
The Raijor Dal leader also accused the SIT of selectively naming individuals in the chargesheet. He pointed out that Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were specifically mentioned, and questioned the intent behind it.
He further questioned why the Chief Minister appeared uneasy about the chargesheet being read by others. “If there are no loopholes, why is the CM so tense? If anything in the chargesheet is false, say it openly,” he said.
Gogoi went on to allege that the Chief Minister was trying to protect the accused. Drawing from his own experience as a legislator with legal knowledge, Gogoi concluded that despite the serious sections invoked, Siddharth Sharma would never receive the death penalty.
“This is my experience speaking. No matter what sections are mentioned, Siddharth Sharma will not get the death sentence,” Gogoi said.
