Singapore coroner’s court hears singer Zubeen Garg drowned after swimming without life jacket

SINGAPORE: Popular Indian singer-songwriter Zubeen Garg, who died in Singapore a day before he was scheduled to perform at a music festival, drowned in waters off Lazarus Island after entering the sea without a life jacket, a coroner’s court heard on Wednesday (14 Jan).

Garg’s death has triggered widespread protests and a political outcry in Assam, where he was widely revered not only as a musician but also as a cultural icon.

The 52-year-old was on a private yacht outing on 19 September 2025 when the incident occurred. The Singapore Police Force has said it does not suspect any foul play.

According to the chief investigating officer, Garg initially wore a life jacket when he first entered the water. However, he later removed it and returned to the yacht, where he was heard saying that he was tired.

When he decided to swim again, he was offered a second, smaller life jacket but declined to wear it. Garg then entered the sea without any safety equipment and began swimming alone in the direction of Lazarus Island.

Members of the group on board the yacht shouted for others to bring him back, as he was not wearing a life jacket. Garg eventually turned around, but while swimming back towards the yacht, he suddenly became motionless and floated face down in the water.

He was quickly pulled back onto the yacht, where cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered. Despite rescue efforts, he was pronounced dead later that day.

Medical history and intoxication

The court heard that Garg had a medical history of hypertension and epilepsy, with his last known epileptic episode occurring in 2024.

It remains unclear whether he had taken his regular epilepsy medication on the day of the incident, as eyewitness accounts were insufficient to establish this.

An autopsy later determined the cause of death to be drowning. While some injuries were found on Garg’s body, these were assessed to have been sustained during CPR and rescue efforts.

Toxicology tests revealed that Garg had a blood alcohol concentration of 333 milligrams per 100ml of blood, indicating severe intoxication that would have significantly impaired coordination and reflexes.

By comparison, the legal driving limit in Singapore is 80 milligrams per 100ml.

Medications for hypertension and epilepsy were detected in his blood, with no other drugs found. Police also recovered a 750ml bottle of Scotch whisky, which was about 25 per cent full, from Garg’s hotel room. The bottle had reportedly been gifted to him prior to the incident.

Yacht outing and emergency response

Garg had travelled to Singapore to attend the North East India Festival. On 19 September, he left his hotel and boarded a yacht at Marina at Keppel Bay with about 20 others, including friends and colleagues.

Witnesses told police that snacks, drinks and alcohol were consumed on board. Several said they saw Garg drinking alcohol, including liquor, gin, whisky and Guinness Stout.

The yacht later anchored between Lazarus Island and St John’s Island. A kayak was prepared for use, and Garg joined others swimming in the sea. During his first swim, he removed his life jacket before returning to the yacht.

When he entered the water for a second time without a life jacket, repeated reminders were made by the yacht’s captain and others for him to put one on.

Following his collapse in the water, the Police Coast Guard dispatched a patrol craft within two minutes of receiving a distress call, arriving at the scene within nine minutes. Police officers took over CPR upon arrival.

The yacht was then guided to Marina South Pier, about three nautical miles (6km) away, and Garg was conveyed by ambulance to Singapore General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 5.15pm.

Family raises concerns at inquiry

Before the inquiry began, Garg’s uncle addressed the court, expressing concerns on behalf of the family. He said Garg had left his hotel room “alive and full of promise” on the morning of 19 September but was dead by the end of the day.

“Between those two moments lie a sequence of events the family doesn’t fully understand,” he said.

He called for a full and chronological examination of events, including who organised the outing, who accompanied Garg, and his physical and medical condition at each stage. He also questioned why Garg entered the sea and whether he did so voluntarily or under encouragement or insistence from others.

Garg’s wife, who was unable to attend the hearing, raised similar concerns in a statement, questioning whether the conclusion that there was no foul play accounted for any omissions, failures to act or lapses.

State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said some of the details sought were not relevant to determining the immediate circumstances surrounding the death. He added that the family was free to question witnesses during the inquiry. A total of 35 witnesses are expected to testify, including those on board the yacht, the boat captain, police officers and paramedics.

Witness testimony and captain’s account

The yacht captain told the court that he saw two of Garg’s friends holding onto his arms as he boarded, as he appeared unable to walk properly. He also noticed that some passengers were already drinking alcohol before the yacht departed.

He said he conducted two safety briefings, instructing passengers to wear life jackets at all times. During Garg’s first swim, the captain saw him remove his life jacket and immediately told others to get him out of the water.

When he later noticed Garg floating face down, the captain shouted for help and swam towards him. He described seeing foam coming from Garg’s mouth and nose before CPR was performed on the yacht’s deck.

The captain said the situation on board became chaotic, with some passengers crying and others attempting to move the yacht to seek help, before authorities instructed him to remain in place.

Video footage shown in court captured Garg in the water, including the moment during his first swim when he removed his life jacket. Witness statements indicated that he had no suicidal tendencies and had entered the water voluntarily.

A forensic pathologist testified that it could not be determined whether Garg had suffered a seizure, as there were no physical indicators such as a bitten tongue.

The inquiry continues.