The Singapore police, in a statement issued on Friday, have said that “based on preliminary investigations”, they “do not suspect foul play” in singer Zubeen Garg’s death.
Garg, 52, died in Singapore on September 19. He was there as a cultural brand ambassador for the North East India Festival, Singapore, which was scheduled to take place on September 20 and 21. Before the festival began, on September 19, he went on a yacht outing with members of the Assam Association Singapore, and lost consciousness while he was swimming.
He was declared dead when he was taken to Singapore General Hospital. The death certificate issued by Singapore authorities states that the cause of death was “drowning.”
In a statement issued on Friday, the Singapore Police Force stated, “The case is currently being investigated by the SPF, in accordance with Singapore’s Coroners Act 2010. Based on preliminary investigations, the SPF does not suspect foul play.”
“Upon completion of the SPF’s investigations, which may take up to another three months or so, the findings will be submitted to the State Coroner in Singapore, who will then determine whether to hold a Coroner’s Inquiry (CI). A CI is a fact-finding process led by a Coroner, who is a Judicial Officer of the Courts, to establish the cause and circumstances of death. Its findings will be made public upon conclusion,” the SPF said.
Meanwhile, the criminal case registered in Assam, where police are investigating charges of murder, criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing death by negligence, has resulted in the arrest of seven people so far.
All seven have been remanded in judicial custody after completion of their police custody period. The Assam police have also summoned and questioned seven NRIs living in Singapore in connection with the death. An Assam police team led by IPS officer Munna Prasad Gupta, who is heading the SIT investigating the case, is scheduled to visit Singapore and meet Singapore police authorities there next week.
