GUWAHATI: The Assam government will probe the death of singer Zubeen Garg (52). Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the cultural icon lost his life while swimming without a life jacket.
“The Singapore ambassador informed us that Zubeen, accompanied by four members of his team and another 11 Assamese youth, went out on a yacht trip at 2 pm Singapore time on Friday.
"After a while, they stopped at a place and were swimming. Initially, Garg was wearing a life jacket, but he took it off as it was oversized and started swimming again,” Sarma said.
“However, on finding him drowning, the yacht crew member jumped into the water and brought him up. He was given CPR and taken to the yacht port. Doctors and coast guards gave him CPR again, but as he couldn't be revived, he was taken to the Singapore General Hospital,” the chief minister further stated.
The “Ya Ali” fame Garg was declared dead at the hospital.
He had reached Singapore on Wednesday to take part in the 4th Northeast India Festival on Sunday. Initial reports suggested that he had passed away while scuba diving.
Sarma said after an FIR was lodged with Assam’s Morigaon police station, a case was registered against Shaymkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sarma.
Mahanta and some others are the festival’s organisers. Siddharth is Garg’s secretary.
“There will definitely be a probe. We will bring Shaymkanu Mahanta, Siddharth Sarma and all those who were with Zubeen under its purview. I have come across social media reports that Zubeen was taken to a party a day before the incident. I don’t know if it is true or false, but we will probe it too,” the chief minister said.
Singapore authorities have already launched a probe. "If there is any criminal part, we will get it from Singapore. And if there was an ill motive when he was taken to Singapore, we will get to know it in Assam."
"The government will conduct an impartial probe. If anyone has any information, he or she can share it,” Sarma said.
Stating that he is expecting the body to arrive in New Delhi on Saturday night, he said it would be brought to Guwahati in a special flight early Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, Assam witnessed a virtual bandh on Saturday. Traders shut their shutters to pay homage to the singer. Songs of Garg reverberated across the state. Fans shared photos and videos of the singer on social media to pay tribute to him.