Guwahati: The final hours of Assam’s most loved singer and cultural icon, Zubeen Garg, came into sharp and painful focus on Tuesday as a coroner’s court in Singapore heard that the 53-year-old artist was severely intoxicated and swimming without a life vest when he drowned near Lazarus Island last September.
Testifying before the court, Assistant Superintendent of Police David Lim of the Singapore Police Coast Guard said Garg had consumed a “significant amount of alcohol” and repeatedly refused to wear a life jacket before entering the sea from a private yacht on September 19, 2025.
According to the testimony, Garg and several companions boarded the yacht at Marina at Keppel Bay around 2 pm. All passengers were briefed on safety procedures and instructed to wear life vests. Garg initially complied, but after jumping into the water, he removed the vest, reportedly saying it was too large and uncomfortable.
“He returned briefly to the yacht, and witnesses observed that he was breathing heavily,” ASP Lim told the court. Despite visible signs of fatigue and concern expressed by those around him, Garg chose to re-enter the water.
When a smaller life jacket was offered and placed over his shoulders, Garg again declined to wear it. Moments later, as friends urged him to swim back to the yacht, he suddenly stopped moving and was seen floating face down. Witnesses reported foam coming from his mouth, triggering panic on board.
Garg was quickly pulled out of the water by his companions, who attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation before rushing him to Singapore General Hospital. He was pronounced dead at 5:13 pm. The official cause of death was confirmed as drowning.
Autopsy findings presented in court underscored the risks Garg had faced in the water. Dr Chan Shijia, a pathologist with Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority, testified that Garg had 333 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood—more than four times the legal drink-driving limit in Singapore. Such levels, she said, would have severely impaired his coordination, balance and judgment.
The autopsy found no illicit drugs in his system, apart from prescribed medication for hypertension and epilepsy. Bruises found on his chest and lips were consistent with attempts to revive him, the court was told.
State Counsel Sean Teh said the inquiry involves 35 witnesses, with seven testifying on January 14. ASP Lim confirmed that investigators found no evidence of suicide, coercion or external pressure leading up to the incident.
Garg was in Singapore to attend the North East India Festival, an event celebrating the culture and music of the region he had long represented on national and global stages. His uncle, Manoj Kumar Bothakur, appeared before the court and sought clarity on a question that continues to haunt the family—whether Garg had entered the water entirely of his own volition.
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The Singapore proceedings unfold alongside developments in Assam, where a special investigation team has filed murder charges against several individuals linked to the incident, including festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and three associates of the singer.
As the hearing continues, the court revelations have reopened deep emotional wounds for fans across Assam and the Northeast, where Zubeen Garg was more than a musician—he was a voice of identity, pride and collective memory, lost in circumstances that now appear tragically preventabl
