Zubeen died while swimming in sea without life jacket: Himanta

Guwahati, Sep 19 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said that the Indian High Commissioner in Singapore Shilpak Ambule informed him that popular singer Zubeen Garg died while swimming without a life jacket in the island nation.

The autopsy would be conducted on Saturday, and “hopefully” his mortal remains could be brought to Assam in the evening, he said.

Garg went for swimming without a life jacket though the life guards had insisted that he should wear it, Sarma said.

The CM said that 18 people, including Zubeen Garg, went on a yacht trip and swimming, and the singer was later found floating.

''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,'' he said after visiting the singer's residence in Kahilipara area here.

The singer was found floating on the sea, and the life guards gave him immediate CPR before rushing him to the Singapore General Hospital where he was later declared dead, he said.

The Singapore authorities are questioning the people who had accompanied the singer, Sarma said.

The High Commissioner has also informed that the autopsy will be conducted tomorrow and ''we are hoping that Zubeen can return to his land by tomorrow evening'', the CM said.

He also said that since all the members accompanying Garg are Indian citizens, ''we will also approach the Union home ministry on the procedure to be followed for our concerned authorities to question them as the people of the state have the right to know what exactly happened to their icon in his last minutes." Sarma said that the singer's mortal remains will be kept in the Sarusajai Stadium for the people to pay their last respects and ''all other arrangements will be made after his body's arrival." His family has said that since Garg belongs to the people of the state, ''they who will decide how his last rites will be conducted. I will also consult people, as I also do not have the right to take any decision without their knowledge,” the CM said.

Sarma was accompanied by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma to the singer's house to offer condolences to his family. PTI DG NN