Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday confirmed that the mortal remains of popular singer Zubeen Garg, who died in Singapore after suffering complications during a scuba diving session, will be brought back today.
The Assam CM took to his X account to inform that Singaporean authorities are conducting a post-mortem before the body is flown back to India. Sarma said that the post-mortem is expected to conclude by 11:30 AM (2 PM SGT).
Sharing the update on X, Sarma wrote, “Singaporean authorities have confirmed that a post-mortem of our beloved Zubeen Garg will be conducted. We expect this to conclude by 2 PM SGT. Thereafter, his mortal remains will be handed over to Indian authorities, and we shall begin the process of bringing him home. I shall keep all of you posted.”
According to Indian High Commissioner to Singapore Shilpak Ambule, Garg, best known for his ‘Ya Ali’ song, had gone with 17 others on a yacht trip and died while “swimming in the sea without a life jacket”.
The crew members of the yacht and guards had insisted that Garg should wear it, the Assam CM said. “Garg had initially worn the life jacket, but after a few seconds, he took it off, claiming that it was oversized and he was finding it difficult to swim,” he said.
After visiting the singer’s residence in Kahilipara area in Guwahati on Friday night, Sarma said: “The high commissioner has sent me a list of people accompanying Zubeen, and it includes 11 people, including one Abhimanyu Talukdar, who had booked the yacht, from the Assamese community living in Singapore, four members of the singer’s team, and two crew members.”
The singer was “found floating in the sea, and the crew of the yacht tried to revive him, and he was again given CPR at the port”. He was rushed to the Singapore General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
