A police investigator revealed that Indian singer Zubeen Garg was “severely intoxicated” when he drowned while swimming in waters near Lazarus Island.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) David Lim, who was testifying during a hearing at the coroner’s court yesterday, said Garg, 53, had consumed alcohol and refused a life vest before jumping off a yacht in Sept 2025.
As his friends tried to convince him to swim back to the yacht, Garg suddenly became motionless and began floating face down, added ASP Lim, who is with the Police Coast Guard.
The investigator said the singer was pulled back to the yacht, and his friends tried to resuscitate him, but Garg was later pronounced dead in hospital on Sept 19, 2025. The cause of his death was drowning.
The popular artiste from the north-eastern state of Assam in India was in Singapore for the North East India Festival, a cultural festival organised by the Assamese community in Singapore.
ASP Lim was the first witness to take the stand at a coroner’s inquiry into the death of the singer, which was attended by several members of the public and Garg’s uncle and nephew. State Counsel Sean Teh said there are 35 witnesses in total in this case.
ASP Lim, who took the stand in the morning, said witnesses noted that Garg did not have any suicidal tendencies and was not subjected to duress or coercion before his death.
“He did not wear a life jacket, despite repeated reminders by the yacht captain to wear one,” added the investigator.
Garg had 333mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system, which an autopsy report said would have impacted his coordination. — The Straits Times/ANN
