- By Sidhi Agarwall
- Thu, 02 Oct 2025 03:25 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Zubeen Garg Death: Singer and musician Zubeen Garg, one of Assam’s most beloved artists, died on September 19 in Singapore. Earlier reports had suggested he passed away while scuba diving, but fresh details now confirm he drowned while swimming off St John’s Island. The 52-year-old artist was in Singapore to attend the 60th year of India-Singapore diplomatic relations and take part in the North East India Festival, held as part of the India-ASEAN Year of Tourism celebrations.
According to The Straits Times, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed that they had handed over the autopsy report and preliminary findings on Garg’s death to the Indian High Commission, which had requested the documents. The report confirms that the cause of death was drowning. Earlier, the SPF had already ruled out foul play in the incident. Ng Kai Ling, associate director at LIMN Law Corporation in Singapore, told the newspaper, “In the case of Zubeen Garg, a coroner’s inquiry could possibly shed light on the sequence of events leading up to his drowning.” Ng added that while there is no official statutory definition of “foul play”, the SPF’s earlier statement likely meant they did not suspect murder or any form of criminal violence.
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On the day of his death, Garg was on St John’s Island with a group of people. He was pulled out of the water unconscious and rushed to Singapore General Hospital, where he was declared dead. According to earlier media reports, Garg had been on a yacht with more than a dozen people. A video later surfaced online showing him jumping into the sea while wearing a life vest. However, the same video poster claimed Garg removed his life jacket shortly after and re-entered the water without it. The video went viral, amassing over 600,000 views on X, but the SPF advised the public not to share any images or footage related to the singer’s death. Media reports also stated that his death certificate, issued by a Singapore hospital, confirmed the cause of death as drowning.
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Meanwhile, in India, developments have continued. Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma and festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta were arrested in Delhi and taken to Guwahati. They were produced before the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate and remanded to 14-day police custody. Police confirmed they have been booked under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence. Speaking to the media in Jorhat during rituals for her late husband, Zubeen’s wife Garima Saikia Garg expressed her faith in the investigation. “We are all waiting to know what happened to him in his last moments,” she said. Garima also added that she trusted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Assam government to uncover the truth behind his untimely death.
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The Assam government has already set up a 10-member SIT to probe the matter further. For now, while speculation continues, the official reports have confirmed one crucial detail Zubeen Garg died from drowning, not scuba diving, and the circumstances of his last moments remain under investigation.