GUWAHATI, Jan 14: Fresh details emerged on Wednesday as the coroner’s inquiry into the death of celebrated Assamese singer and cultural icon Zubeen Garg began at a Singapore court, with the first witness stating that the artiste was severely intoxicated and not wearing a life jacket when he drowned off Lazarus Island in September 2025.
Testifying before the Coroner’s Court, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) David Lim of the Singapore Police Coast Guard said Garg, 53, had consumed alcohol and repeatedly refused to wear a life vest before entering the water from a yacht. Lim was the first witness to depose in the inquiry, according to reports by Singapore-based media outlets including The Straits Times and Channel News Asia.
Lim told the court that Garg and several others boarded a yacht from Marina at Keppel Bay around 2 pm on September 19, 2025. As part of standard safety protocol, all passengers were advised to wear life jackets before swimming. When the yacht reached waters near Lazarus Island around 3 pm, Garg entered the water wearing a life jacket but removed it shortly afterwards, saying it was too big for him.
After briefly returning to the yacht, Garg appeared breathless and required assistance to climb aboard. Despite this, he chose to resume swimming. A smaller life jacket was offered to him, but he refused to wear it and swam towards Lazarus Island without any flotation device, Lim said.
According to the investigator, friends on board repeatedly urged Garg to swim back. Moments later, he became motionless and was seen floating face down in the water, with froth visible at his mouth. He was pulled back onto the yacht, cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated, and an emergency call was made at 3.36 pm.
A Police Coast Guard vessel reached the yacht within 10 minutes and escorted it to Marina South Pier. Garg was later taken by ambulance to Singapore General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5.13 pm. The cause of death was determined to be drowning.
An autopsy report presented before the court stated that Garg had 333 milligrams of alcohol per 100 ml of blood in his system, a level that would have significantly impaired coordination. Medications for hypertension and epilepsy, conditions Garg had a history of, were also detected, though no other drugs were found.
Dr Chan Shijia, a pathologist with Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority, testified that injuries observed on Garg’s chest and lips were consistent with resuscitation efforts. Mobile phone videos submitted as evidence reportedly showed Garg removing his life jacket and struggling while attempting to return to the yacht.
The hearing was attended by members of the public as well as Garg’s uncle and nephew. Before testimony began, Garg’s uncle, Manoj Kumar Bothakur, sought permission to address the court, stating that the family wanted clarity on the circumstances surrounding the singer’s death.
“On September 19, Zubeen walked out of his hotel room alive and full of promise, but at the end of the day he was gone,” he said, adding that the family wanted to know whether Garg entered the water voluntarily or was encouraged to do so.
State Coroner Adam Nakhoda clarified that the inquiry was intended to establish the cause and circumstances of death, not to fix blame.
Garg, one of Assam’s most popular cultural figures, was in Singapore to attend the North East India Festival organised by the Assamese community. Meanwhile, in Assam, framing of charges in the Garg death case at the Kamrup Metro Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court is unlikely at the next hearing scheduled for January 17. Newly appointed Special Public Prosecutor Ziaul Kamar said he has not yet received all case files since taking charge.
The coroner’s inquiry in Singapore is continuing, with 35 witnesses listed to testify, as the case remains under intense public and legal scrutiny in both countries.
