Singapore Coroner's Inquiry Rules Zubeen Garg Died by Accidental Drowning

New Delhi: Even though the Assam Police has charged four individuals with murder for the death of popular singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore, a coroner’s inquiry has ruled his death an accidental drowning.

The Straits Times has reported that delivering his findings on March 25, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said there was no reason to disagree with the Police Coast Guard’s investigation conclusion after analysing the evidence before him.

A death certificate issued by the Singapore General Hospital also listed the cause of death as drowning.

Garg was in Singapore for the North East India Festival when he died on September 19, 2025. In Assam, news of his passing led to protests and calls for action against the people he was with during his death. Police, through a special investigation team has taken seven people into custody – main event organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, singer Amritprava Mahanta, cousin Sandipan Garg, two personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya. The first four are accused of murder.

Dozens of people who had come out to the street demanding a probe into Garg’s death are behind bars as well, and at least two – Ajay Phukan and Victor Das – are charged under the National Security Act (NSA).

The report notes an earlier claim by Singapore police that The Wire had also reported on – that Garg's autopsy report had found that he had 333mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system, which would have impacted his coordination. The legal limit in Singapore is 80 milligrams per 100ml of blood.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) David Lim testified that Garg had consumed alcohol and refused a life vest before jumping off a yacht.

While his friends tried to convince him to return to the yacht, Garg became motionless and was pulled back onto the yacht, where efforts were made to resuscitate him, but to no avail, the police testimony said.

The captain of the vessel, who also testified on January 14, the same day as ASP Lim, said that Garg and about 15 others had boarded the yacht at Marina at Keppel Bay at around 2 pm. He said the singer was so unsteady that his friends had to hold onto his arms as he boarded the vessel.

The coroner is quoted as having said that the man who handed Garg a life jacket had made commendable efforts to try to put the life jacket on him but "his efforts were to no avail" as Garg "steadfastly refused to wear nor (did he) allow the man to put the life jacket on him."

Without a life jacket, Garg had started to swim towards Lazarus Island alone.

“Having reviewed video evidence, his swim strokes appeared to be more akin to doggy paddling. It resembled the swim stroke of a person who was tired or fatigued,” the coroner was quoted as having said.

At one point, Garg decided to turn back and swim towards the yacht, when he likely lost consciousness, and his face became submerged in the water. He added that he found the swimmers in the sea had assisted Garg to the best of their abilities. "There was no evidence to suggest his face had been deliberately held underwater,” he said.

The coroner is also quoted as having said that there was also no evidence of any delay of administration of first aid, nor delay in getting Garg back to the mainland to convey him to a hospital.

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