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No life jacket during swim, controversy angle under scanner: Zubeen Garg death probe so far
It was initially reported that Zubeen Garg died while scuba diving but Assam CM confirmed that he died while swimming in Singapore without wearing a life jacket
Authorities are probing the death of popular singer Zubeen Garg, who died while swimming in Singapore on Friday. Singapore authorities have completed the postmortem of Garg’s body, and his mortal remains are expected to reach New Delhi on Saturday.
It was initially reported that the 52-year-old died in a scuba diving accident, but Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma later confirmed that he died while swimming in Singapore without wearing a life jacket. He further revealed that Zubeen Garg was asked by the lifeguards to wear the safety gear.
Sarma said 18 people, including Garg, had gone on a yacht trip that involved swimming. The singer was later found floating in the sea.
Here is all we know about the probe into Zubeen Garg's death.
Zubeen Garg death: All we know so far
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that multiple First Information Reports (FIR) have been filed against Shyam Kanu Mahanta, the chief organiser of the Northeast Festival, where Zubeen Garg was scheduled to perform on Saturday, and his manager Siddhartha Sharma.
“The autopsy would be conducted on Saturday, and ‘hopefully’ his mortal remains could be brought to Assam in the evening,” Sarma said.
The CM said that the Assam DGP has been instructed to hand over the probe of Zubeen Garg's death to the CID. The authorities will investigate whether any controversy led to the death of Ya Ali singer.
“Multiple FIRs have been filed against Shri Syamkanu Mahanta and Shri Sidharth Sarma in connection with the unfortunate and untimely demise of our beloved Zubeen Garg. I have directed the DGP, Assam Police, to transfer all the FIRs to the CID and to register a consolidated case for a thorough investigation," Sarma wrote on X.
Zubeen Garg was asked to wear a life jacket before swimming but he refused to do so citing difficulty in swimming due to the “jacket being oversized”.
The body will first be taken to Garg’s residence in Guwahati, where family members, including his father and wife, will pay their last respects. From there, it will be taken to Sarusajai Stadium, where the remains will be kept for the public to offer their condolences.
The state government has said that it will declare a holiday on the day the last rites of Garg are performed.
