Indian singer Zubeen Garg, who died in S’pore, was taken on yacht visit without event team’s knowledge

NEW DELHI - Following the death of Indian singer Zubeen Garg after

a scuba diving incident

in Singapore on Sept 19, the manager of the festival at which he was supposed to perform said some community members had taken the Assamese star on a yacht visit which the team had no prior knowledge of.

In a statement posted on Facebook on Sept 19, Shyamkanu Mahanta & Team said that Garg had arrived in Singapore a day earlier and was scheduled to be with them at a festival on Sept 20. The North East Festival was an event showcasing products and the cultural heritage of India’s north-eastern region. The team announced its cancellation following the tragedy.

“With profound grief, we share the heartbreaking news that our beloved icon, Zubeen Garg, passed away today at Singapore General Hospital around 2.30pm. Zubeen had arrived in Singapore just the day before yesterday.

“He was scheduled to be with us at the festival tomorrow, meeting and interacting with people,” said the statement on Sept 19.

Shyamkanu Mahanta & Team said that Garg’s trip on the yacht had taken place while they were busy meeting senior Singaporean industrialists and policymakers at Shangri-La Hotel to facilitate investments in the north-east of India.

“During the meeting, we received a call from Zubeen’s manager informing us that he had met with an accident and had been rushed to Singapore General Hospital.

“We later learnt that a few members of the local Assamese community had taken him on a yacht visit, of which we had no prior knowledge,” the event management team said.

The team said that after receiving the news, they rushed to the hospital and have since been working with the authorities to complete the necessary procedures.

“This is a monumental loss, and words cannot express the depth of our grief,” the statement added.

On Sept 20, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed in a post on X that the post-mortem for Garg had been completed and that his remains were handed over to a team and accompanied by officials from the Indian High Commission.

Indian daily The Statesman, citing a statement from the North East Festival, reported on the same day that the singer “developed serious breathing issues during the scuba diving session” and was rushed to SGH.

Garg, a cultural icon of Assam, was 52.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined a host of Indian politicians and celebrities in mourning the loss of the singer.

In a heartfelt message on X, Mr Modi wrote: “Shocked by the sudden demise of popular singer Zubeen Garg. He will be remembered for his rich contribution to music.

“His renditions were very popular among people across all walks of life. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”

Mr Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, called Garg’s death “a terrible tragedy”, saying his voice defined a generation. Mr Gandhi remembered how the singer overcame personal pain but never stopped creating music that touched millions. THE STATESMAN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK