As Assam prepares for next assembly election on 9 April, the issue of cultural icon Zubeen Garg’s unusual death emerges as a matter of wider public discussions. However, the use of maverick singer’s name in electoral politics is sincerely opposed by the bereaved family. It’s apprehended that the assembly polls will witness a high-voltage campaigning on Zubeen’s unexplained demise in Singapore on 19 September 2025 and subsequent investigations. Nonetheless, Zubeen’s accidental death continues to annoy millions of young people in the region which is still reflected on social media space.
Meanwhile, a coroner’s court in Singapore recently ruled that the 53-year old singer died due to accidental drowning, even as investigations in Assam treated the case as a suspected murder. State Coroner Adam Nakhoda, while delivering his findings on 25 March said there was no reason to disagree with the Police Coast Guard’s conclusion after examining all evidence, reported the island nation’s mainstream daily The Straits Times. A death certificate issued by Singapore General Hospital listed the cause of death as drowning. Testimony revealed that despite efforts by friends to persuade already intoxicated singer, Zubeen went for a second swim without a life jacket and appeared visibly exhausted, stated the report, adding that Zubeen refused to wear the life vest before entering the water.
The court concluded that he likely lost consciousness in the water, leading to drowning. The coroner also noted that there was no evidence of foul play, no delay in rescue efforts, and no indication that anyone held him underwater. The incident occurred during a yacht trip that departed from Marina at Keppel Bay. Witnesses, including the vessel’s captain, testified that the singer appeared unsteady even before boarding, and required assistance moving around. The captain’s assistant told the court in January that no one had forced him to consume alcohol or enter the water. Zubeen likely lost consciousness, and his face became submerged in the water. The swimmers in the sea assisted him to the best of their abilities and there was no evidence to suggest his face had been deliberately held underwater, asserted the coroner.
The Singapore verdict created a fresh political storm in Assam as the opposition parties questioned the claim of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as he said in the legislative assembly in November that Zubeen was murdered under a planned conspiracy. Assam Pradesh Congress Committee chief Gaurav Gogoi drew the contradiction between the Singapore court’s final findings and Assam government’s accusation of murdering Zubeen. Responding to the criticism, Sarma said the Singapore conclusion only strengthened the case registered in Assam. Highlighting that Assam investigation was independent of Singapore’s, Sarma pointed out that both the investigations revealed that Zubeen consumed alcohol crossing the permissible limit (up to 333 milligrams per 100 millilitre of blood suggesting severe intoxication). The additional aspect in Assam probe was that Zubeen was made to consume alcohol on the previous night as part of a larger conspiracy.
Recently, Zubeen’s uncle Manoj Borthakur commented that the family is waiting for justice for the last six months. He observed that some people with an intension to exploit Zubeen’s name for personal gains are trying to put the issue as an anti-government agenda. Borthakur, who visited Singapore to attend the coroner’s court also added that some writers went on publishing books on Zubeen for commercial purposes, but they hardly bothered about the singer during his struggling period and the contributions, he made for Assam’s cultural landscape.
Should Zubeen Garg be used for political purposes ?
