Zubeen Garg was severely intoxicated, had declined life jacket: Report

Popular Indian singer-songwriter Zubeen Garg was “severely intoxicated” and had drowned off Lazarus Island after declining a life jacket last September, a coroner's court in Singapore was told on Wednesday. Zubeen, 52, was with a yacht party on September 19, 2025, when he died of drowning a day before he was slated to perform at the North East India Festival in Singapore.

Here’s the latest update on the Zubeen Garg case

The singer initially wore a life jacket but removed it and later declined to put on a second one offered to him, the chief investigating officer told the court in the opening of the inquiry, a news publication reported. At the time, Zubeen was also severely intoxicated and several witnesses saw him trying to swim back to the yacht when he went limp and began floating with his face in the water, the Channel said quoting the officer.

Zubeen was promptly rescued back to the yacht and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered to him, but he was pronounced dead later that same day. The singer had a medical history of hypertension and epilepsy, with his last known epileptic episode in 2024, the court was told.

However, it is unclear if he had taken his regular medicine for epilepsy on the day of the incident, with the evidence of eyewitnesses insufficient to establish that he had actually taken it, it was added.

The Singapore police do not suspect any foul play in his death, according to the Channel report. A total of 35 witnesses are slated for the inquiry, including witnesses on the yacht, the boat captain, police officers and paramedics.

The chief investigating officer in the case told the court that Zubeen and 20-odd people on the yacht, including his friends and colleagues, had some snacks, drinks and alcohol on the boat. Several witnesses said they saw Zubeen drinking alcohol, with one witness saying he had consumed a few cups of liquor, gin and whisky, along with a few sips of Guinness Stout, the Channel said.

“When he decided to resume swimming, Zubeen was offered a second, smaller life jacket, but he declined to wear it. He entered the water without a life jacket and started swimming in the direction of Lazarus Island alone,” said the chief investigating officer.

An autopsy performed on Zubeen determined the cause of death to be drowning. Some injuries were found on his body but they were found to have been sustained during CPR and rescue efforts, the Channel report said.

Medications for his hypertension and epilepsy were found in his blood, with no other drugs detected.

A toxicology analysis found that Zubeen had a blood alcohol concentration of 333 milligrams per 100ml of blood, which suggests severe intoxication resulting in impaired coordination and reflexes, the court was told.

“The evidence of several witnesses, provided via their statements to the court, stated that Mr Garg had no suicidal tendencies and that he was not pushed into the water but had jumped in himself for a swim,” the Channel report said, quoting the court hearing.

The forensic pathologist, who conducted Zubeen's autopsy, testified that it could not be determined whether or not he had suffered a seizure, saying there were no signs such as a bitten tongue.

The captain of the yacht, which is called the Crazy Monkey, gave evidence that he saw two of Zubeen's friends holding onto his arms as he boarded as he was unable to walk properly. He also claimed that he had given two safety briefings, and that when he saw Zubeen entering waters without a life jacket the second time, he said, “I told his friend that he is drunk, and if he wants to get into the water, he needs to wear a life jacket.”

Before the inquiry opened on Wednesday, Zubeen's uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur read a statement he had prepared to the court, in which he raised several concerns the family had over the singer's death.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.