Zubeen Garg died from drowning, not scuba diving, autopsy confirms

Singer and musician Zubeen Garg tragically passed away on 19 September after drowning while swimming near St John's Island, Singapore, according to new reports. This clarification comes after earlier reports suggested he had died while scuba diving.

Garg, who was in Singapore to attend events marking the 60th anniversary of India-Singapore diplomatic relations, the India-ASEAN Year of Tourism, and the North East India Festival, died at the age of 52.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed that they provided a copy of the autopsy report, along with preliminary findings on Garg’s death, to the High Commission of India upon request, as reported by The Straits Times. The Indian High Commission has confirmed receiving the report.

Sources have revealed that the autopsy report indicates Garg died as a result of drowning. The SPF has already ruled out foul play in the incident.

A legal expert quoted by The Straits Times, Ng Kai Ling, an associate director at LIMN Law Corporation, suggested that a coroner’s inquiry could further clarify the events leading to Garg's drowning. Ng also explained that while the SPF's statement of no foul play suggests they do not suspect murder or criminal violence, the term 'foul play' does not have a statutory definition.

On 19 September, Garg was at St John's Island when he was found unconscious in the water and rushed to Singapore General Hospital, where he was later declared dead.

Earlier media reports stated that Garg had been aboard a yacht with over a dozen people when the tragedy occurred. A video posted on X on 20 September showed the singer jumping into the water while wearing a life jacket.

However, it was later revealed that Garg had removed the life jacket before jumping in again, minutes before the incident. The video quickly gained over 600,000 views. The SPF had urged the public not to share any footage or images related to Garg’s death.

The death certificate issued by the Singapore hospital lists the cause of death as drowning.

Meanwhile, Zubeen Garg's manager Siddhartha Sharma and the festival's chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, were arrested in Delhi on 1 October in connection with the singer's death.

They were transferred to Guwahati, where they were remanded in police custody for 14 days by the Kamrup chief judicial magistrate. The pair have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence, according to Assam Police.

In response to the arrests, Garima Saikia Garg, the singer’s wife, who is currently in Jorhat for the 13th-day rituals of her husband, expressed her satisfaction that the two men had been brought to Assam. She stated that she was eager to understand the full circumstances surrounding her husband's final moments and placed her trust in the investigating team.

The Assam government has formed a 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to further probe the singer’s death in Singapore.