After Zubeen Garg’s drowning in Singapore, Assam demands answers

When Zubeen Garg once joked that Assam would "shut down for seven days" upon his death, no one imagined it would come true so soon.

The 52-year-old singer-composer — the first true rockstar of Assam — drowned in the sea near Singapore's St John's Island last month. He had travelled there to perform at a concert scheduled for September 20. A day before, he went on a yacht trip — a decision that would end in tragedy.

Singapore police said they received a call for help and found Garg unconscious. He was taken to hospital, where he died. Authorities ruled out foul play, but in Assam, disbelief quickly turned to fury.

Three weeks on, the state remains in mourning. Shops are shuttered, schools closed, and streets hushed. His portrait, framed with marigolds, flickers under candlelight in homes and community halls across the state.

Before his cremation on September 23, Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ordered a second autopsy "to ensure transparency." Yet despite official claims of an accident, whispers of conspiracy have taken hold.

At least 60 police complaints have been filed. Five people who accompanied Garg to Singapore — including his manager, the event organiser, and members of his crew — have been arrested. Police say they are probing possible negligence, conspiracy, and even homicide. All five deny wrongdoing.

Zubeen Garg's death has plunged Assam into collective heartbreak. In a career spanning three decades, he sang in more than 40 languages and gave India one of its most memorable Bollywood hits — "Ya Ali" from "Gangster" (2006). But to his fans, he was much more than a singer: he was an institution, a rebel, a voice of the Northeast.

"Zubeen filled a cultural void during Assam's darkest years," says Gauhati University professor Akhil Ranjan Dutta. "He brought hope and rhythm to a generation growing up amid conflict and uncertainty."

When Garg's body was flown back to Guwahati, over a million mourners poured into the streets. His coffin, draped in flowers, was carried through crowds chanting his songs. He was cremated with full state honours — a 21-gun salute, and tears that refused to stop.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him "the brightest gem of Assamese culture." But amid the mourning, frustration simmered. Fans accused authorities of hiding the truth and demanded justice.

"Zubeen wasn't just a musician," says Guwahati-based author Manorom Gogoi. "He was a people's king — fiercely political, deeply generous. His sudden, unexplained death has left a wound that refuses to heal."

Police have formed a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) and a judicial commission to probe the case. In the past week, four of Garg's associates — including his manager and two crew members — were remanded in custody. A fifth, a police officer and Garg's cousin, has also been detained.

Senior investigator Munna Prasad Gupta has confirmed the team is "not ruling out murder." Toxicology reports from Delhi are awaited, and Singapore's autopsy findings have been handed over to local police.

The public anger, however, shows no sign of fading. Videos circulating online show Garg swimming without a life jacket, visibly exhausted. His wife, Garima Saikia Garg, says he had health issues and always carried medication. "He was on medicines, and everyone around him knew it," she said. "He was a victim of negligence — that much is certain. But why was a person like him neglected? We want answers."

Chief Minister Sarma has urged all those who were with Garg on the yacht to return to Assam for questioning. "Until they come forward, we cannot join the dots," he said, even appealing to their families to pressure them to cooperate.

The tragedy has since turned political, with elections looming. The ruling BJP and opposition Congress have traded barbs over the investigation. Sarma, facing mounting anger, declared, "If I fail to deliver justice for Zubeen, do not vote for us."

Meanwhile, Garg's family and friends say the endless speculation has robbed them of peace.

"Every day brings new theories," says writer-musician Rahul Gautam Sharma, a close family friend. "We just want the truth. Only then can we begin to grieve."