Testimony in Singapore court, Zubeen Garg denied taking life jacket while drunk.

Mumbai: Recently new information has come to light in the case of the death of famous Assam singer Zubeen Garg. The hearing began in a Singapore court on January 14, 2026, with the lead investigating officer reporting that Zubeen Garg was ‘in critical condition’ near Lazarus Island last September. He refused to wear a life jacket, resulting in his death by drowning. Zubeen Garg had arrived in Singapore on 19 September 2025 for the North East India Festival, where his performance was scheduled the next day, but during a yacht party he went for a swim in the sea.

‘Zubeen Garg refused to wear life jacket’

The investigating officer told the court that Zubeen had earlier worn a life jacket, but later removed it. When he was offered a second, smaller life jacket, he rejected it as well. The captain of the yacht repeatedly reminded him to wear a life jacket, but he did not agree. According to witnesses, Zubeen had consumed a large amount of alcohol, including liquor, gin, whiskey and Guinness stout.

The toxicology report found 333 mg of alcohol per 100 ml in his blood, which is well above the limit (80 mg/100 ml in Singapore). This affected his physical balance and reaction. Zubin attempted to return to the yacht, but suddenly fell and began floating face down in the water. He was immediately brought onto the yacht, given CPR and taken to Singapore General Hospital, but died at about 5:15 pm. The postmortem report stated drowning as the cause of death. There were injuries on his body, but they were caused during the rescue and CPR. Medicines for hypertension and epilepsy were detected in his blood, while no other drugs were found. Police have ruled out the possibility of any foul play.

In the court, Zubeen’s uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur read a statement on behalf of the family and raised many questions. The coroner said that some details were not directly connected with the cause of death, but that witnesses could be questioned. There will be statements from a total of 35 witnesses, including people on board the yacht, the captain, police and paramedics. This case is also going on in Assam, where the SIT has accused four people of murder, while the Singapore Police is still not recognizing any kind of foul play. Fans and family are still waiting for the truth. Zubeen Garg was a cultural icon of Assam, whose songs touched millions of hearts. The entire North East is in mourning due to his death. The investigation is ongoing and further hearing will take place till February.