Zubeen Garg died due to drowning and not scuba-diving accident: Report

Days after his death left several fans heartbroken and gave birth to conspiracy theories, media reports on Thursday (October 2) said singer-musician Zubeen Garg drowned while swimming off a Singapore island and did not die in an accident while scuba-diving.

The 52-year-old, who was a cultural icon in the north-east and also made significant contributions to the film and music industries in other languages, passed away in Singapore on September 19. He was in the Southeast Asian city-state to celebrate the 60th year of India-Singapore Diplomatic Relations and India ASEAN Year of Tourism, North East India Festival.

Also read: Zubeen Garg's family files complaint with CID, seeks probe into death

Autopsy report from Singapore

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said they have extended a copy of the autopsy report of the singer, along with its preliminary findings on his death, to the High Commission of India, upon its request, The Straits Times newspaper reported.

The high commission confirmed receiving the report.

As per a source, the report said Zubeen died due to drowning.

The SPF had earlier dismissed the foul-play angle in the death of the celebrity musician.

Also read: Thousands mourn as Zubeen Garg's coffin reaches home in Guwahati

“In the case of Zubeen Garg, a coroner’s inquiry could possibly shed light on the sequence of events leading up to his drowning,” the Singapore broadsheet quoted Ng Kai Ling, associate director at LIMN Law Corporation in Singapore, as saying.

According to the Singapore daily, Ng also said that there is no statutory definition for the term “foul play”, but the SPF’s initial statement could be understood to mean that they do not suspect that Zubeen was murdered or died as a result of some criminal violence.

Zubeen was pulled out of water unconscious

On the fateful day, the singer was at St. John’s Island off Singapore. There, he was pulled out of the water unconscious and rushed to Singapore General Hospital. He died the same day.

Also read: How did Zubeen Garg die? It wasn't a scuba accident; Assam CM reveals new details

According to earlier media reports, the iconic singer was with more than a dozen people on an unnamed yacht at the time of his death.

A video posted on X on September 20 showed him jumping into the water for a swim while wearing a life vest.

But according to media reports, a person who posted the video, which has since garnered over 6,00,000 views, said Zubeen took off his life jacket minutes later and jumped into the water again.

The SPF had advised members of the public in Singapore not to share any videos or images related to the singer’s death.

Also read: Zubeen Garg obit: The voice that carried Assam’s love, longing and loss in its timbre

According to various media reports, the icon’s death certificate, issued by a Singapore hospital, lists the cause of death as drowning.

Manager, organiser arrested

Meanwhile, his manager Siddhartha Sharma and festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta were arrested from Delhi on Wednesday (October 1) in connection with his demise, the Assam Police said. They were taken to Guwahati, where the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate remanded them to 14-day police custody.

The duo were booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy and causing death by negligence, a senior police officer said.

Singer's wife says she is satisfied

Meanwhile, Zubeen's wife, Garima Saikia Garg, who is in Jorhat for the 13th day rituals of 'Mangolik Karya' of the deceased singer, told reporters that she was satisfied that the duo had been brought to Assam as “we are all waiting to know what happened to him in his last moments”.

Also read: Zubeen Garg's funeral 4th largest gathering, enters Limca Book of Records

Garima said she has full faith in the investigating team and hoped that they would soon know what exactly happened in Singapore.

The Assam government had constituted a 10-member special investigation team to investigate Zubeen’s death.

Also read: Zubeen Garg's wife demands 'proper inquiry' into singer's death

Just days after the tragedy, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who personally went to New Delhi to receive the singer's mortal remains after it reached from Singapore and accompanied it to Assam, said at a press conference that the cause of Zubeen's death had officially been confirmed as 'drowning'.

(With Agency inputs)