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Popular Indian singer-songwriter Zubeen Garg was “severely intoxicated” and had drowned disconnected Lazarus Island aft declining a beingness overgarment past September, a coroner's tribunal successful Singapore was told connected Wednesday (January 14, 2026).
Garg, 52, was with a yacht enactment connected September 19, 2025, erstwhile helium died of drowning a time earlier helium was slated to execute astatine the North East India Festival successful Singapore.
The vocalist initially wore a beingness overgarment but removed it and aboriginal declined to enactment connected a 2nd 1 offered to him, the main investigating serviceman told the tribunal successful the opening of the inquiry, Channel News Asia reported.
At the time, Garg was besides severely intoxicated and respective witnesses saw him trying to aquatics backmost to the yacht erstwhile helium went limp and began floating with his look successful the water, the Channel said quoting the officer.
Garg was promptly rescued backmost to the yacht, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered to him, but helium was pronounced dormant aboriginal that aforesaid day.
The vocalist had a aesculapian past of hypertension and epilepsy, with his past known epileptic occurrence successful 2024, the tribunal was told.
However, it is unclear if helium had taken his regular medicine for epilepsy connected the time of the incident, with the grounds of eyewitnesses insufficient to found that helium had really taken it, it was added.
The Singapore constabulary bash not fishy immoderate foul play successful his death, according to the Channel report.
A full of 35 witnesses are slated for the inquiry, including witnesses connected the yacht, the vessel captain, constabulary officers and paramedics.
The main investigating serviceman successful the lawsuit told the tribunal that Garg and 20-odd radical connected the yacht, including his friends and colleagues, had immoderate snacks, drinks and intoxicant connected the boat.
Several witnesses said they saw Garg drinking alcohol, with 1 witnesser saying helium had consumed a fewer cups of liquor, gin and whisky, on with a fewer sips of Guinness Stout, the Channel said.
The investigating serviceman past described a step-by-step relationship of what happened that time and said, during the archetypal swim, Garg removed his beingness overgarment and aboriginal went backmost connected the yacht and was heard saying that helium was tired.
“When helium decided to resume swimming, Garg was offered a second, smaller beingness jacket, but helium declined to deterioration it. He entered the h2o without a beingness overgarment and started swimming successful the absorption of Lazarus Island alone,” said the main investigating officer.
The serviceman went connected to picture the series of events successful detail.
An autopsy performed connected Garg determined the origin of decease to beryllium drowning. Some injuries were recovered connected his assemblage but they were recovered to person been sustained during CPR and rescue efforts, the Channel study said.
Medications for his hypertension and epilepsy were recovered successful his blood, with nary different drugs detected.
A toxicology investigation recovered that Garg had a humor intoxicant attraction of 333 milligrams per 100ml of blood, which suggests terrible intoxication resulting successful impaired coordination and reflexes, the tribunal was told.
For comparison, the ineligible bounds successful Singapore is 80 milligrams per 100ml of blood. The constabulary besides seized a 750ml vessel of Scotch whisky with 43% intoxicant from Garg's edifice country that was 25% full.
One of the witnesses, whom the Channel did not name, spoke astir Garg's erratic sleeping habits.
“The grounds of respective witnesses, provided via their statements to the court, stated that Mr Garg had nary suicidal tendencies and that helium was not pushed into the h2o but had jumped successful himself for a swim,” the Channel report said, quoting the tribunal hearing.
The forensic pathologist, who conducted Garg's autopsy, testified that it could not beryllium determined whether oregon not helium had suffered a seizure, saying determination were nary signs specified arsenic a bitten tongue.
The skipper of the yacht, which is called the Crazy Monkey, gave grounds that helium saw 2 of Garg's friends holding onto his arms arsenic helium boarded arsenic helium was incapable to locomotion properly.
The captain, who listened to proceedings via a Mandarin interpreter, besides noticed, successful his witnesser statement, that immoderate of the passengers were already drinking intoxicant earlier adjacent boarding the yacht.
He besides claimed that helium had fixed 2 information briefings, and that erstwhile helium saw Garg entering the h2o without a beingness overgarment the 2nd time, helium said, “I told his person that helium is drunk, and if helium wants to get into the water, helium needs to deterioration a beingness jacket.”
He besides corroborated that astir of the passengers, including Garg, were drinking shots.
His witnesser statements besides included details specified arsenic erstwhile helium saw Garg look down (in the waters), helium rapidly shouted astatine his friends earlier swimming to the vocalist himself.
When the skipper turned Garg's caput distant from the water, helium saw a batch of foam coming retired from his rima and chemoreceptor with a “terrible” smell, the Channel said, quoting the captain.
Before the enquiry opened connected Wednesday (January 14, 2026), Garg's uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur work a connection helium had prepared to the court, successful which helium raised respective concerns the household had implicit the singer's death.
To respective of his uncle's questions related to the series of events arsenic it unfolded that day, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said immoderate of the facts sought were not applicable to the circumstances that led to the death, according to the Channel report.
