Singer Was Drunk, Had Declined Life Jacket Says Singapore Police

14th January 2026 at 7:21 PM

2 minutes read

Singapore : Singapore police told a coroner’s court on Wednesday that Indian singer-songwriter Zubeen Garg was severely intoxicated when he drowned off Lazarus Island last September after entering the sea without a life jacket. Garg, 52, died on September 19, 2025, while attending a private yacht gathering. The chief investigating officer told the court that Garg had initially worn a life jacket during a swim but later removed it.

He entered the water without a life jacket and started swimming alone in the direction of Lazarus Island, the officer said. Several witnesses later saw Garg attempting to swim back to the yacht before going limp and floating face-down in the water. Garg was quickly pulled back onto the yacht, where cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered. However, he was pronounced dead later that day.

Toxicology tests revealed that Garg had a blood alcohol concentration of 333 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood, indicating severe intoxication and impaired coordination and reflexes. The legal limit in Singapore is 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres. Police also seized a 750 ml bottle of Scotch whisky with 43 per cent alcohol from Garg’s hotel room, which was found to be about 25 per cent full.

The investigating officer told the court that Garg was among more than 20 people on the yacht, including friends and colleagues, who consumed snacks, drinks and alcohol. Several witnesses reported seeing Garg drinking alcohol. One said he consumed multiple cups of liquor, gin and whisky, along with sips of Guinness Stout. He also stated that some passengers had begun drinking alcohol even before boarding the yacht and that he had conducted two safety briefings.

When he turned Garg’s head away from the water, he noticed foam coming from his mouth and nose, with what he described as a “terrible” smell. The officer said that after his first swim, Garg returned to the yacht and was heard saying he was tired before deciding to swim again. While medication for both conditions was detected in his blood, it could not be established whether he had taken his epilepsy medication on the day of the incident, as eyewitness accounts were inconclusive.

Before the enquiry began, Garg’s uncle, Manoj Kumar Borthakur, read a prepared statement in court raising concerns about the circumstances surrounding the singer’s death. State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said some of the questions raised were not directly relevant to the circumstances that led to Garg’s death, according to Channel News Asia. Since Garg’s death, multiple arrests have been made, including those of his manager Siddharth Sharma, festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and his cousin, DSP Sandipan Garg by Assam Police.