The heartbroken news surfaced from Singapore in multiple media outlets, which shocked the people of Assam in grief, and an instant outrage steered among the young generation, who were born in eastern India and brought up with the melodious voice of iconic singer Zubeen Garg. The sadness and melancholy soon turned into outrages with a vital question, why Zubeen was taken to Singapore as he was not feeling completely well for months. Millions of his fans were annoyed when they encountered some clippings of videos on social media, where Zubeen was seen swimming in the seawater even though he was cautioned by the doctors in Guwahati to avoid the water body. The netizens cried foul, why his tragic incident was not properly reported, even though a group of Asomiya people (including a journalist, a news channel owner, a police officer and many media savvy individuals) had accompanied Zubeen to participate in the North East India Festival, organized in the southeast Asian nation of islands on 20 and 21 September 2025.
For nearly five days (19 to 23 September), Assam was brought to a standstill, where markets places were closed, streets deserted, people flocked to roadside points with life-size portraits to pay homage to their beloved prince of melody, newspapers dedicated front-pages only with Zubeen related developments and news channels telecast all important updates with true to the term 24 hours a day. Hundreds of thousands of Zubeen- admirers poured on the streets from Guwahati international airport to his residence inside the prehistoric city. Thousands arrived from different parts of northeast India and the city turned into a sea of humans weeping, sobbing, crying and exclaiming why Zubeen was ‘put to die’ in the sea by allowing him to swim without a life jacket, thousands of kilometers away from his motherland.
Born to the modest family of Mohini Mohon Borthakur (a retired magistrate with pen-name Kapil Thakur) and Ily Borthakur (a classical singer, who died a few years back) in Tura of Meghalaya, adjacent to western Assam, on 18 November 1972, Zubeen was named in childhood days as Jiban Borthakur (later he adopted the new name following the admiration to maestro Zubin Mehta, where surname Garg reflects his roots/gotra in Brahmin lineage or genealogy). Zubeen had two sisters namely Jonkey (who died in a road accident while traveling to a distant place to perform in a cultural show) and Palme, a city-based professional. He married popular fashion designer Garima Saikia in 2002. Zubeen got instant national fame with his resounding voice in the song ‘Ya Ali..’ for Bollywood movie Gangster (2006). A versatile genius, Zubeen sang in thousands of songs in multiple languages and could play a number of musical instruments. Awarded with various honours, the identical face of Assam’s hugely popular Bihu functions in recent decades, Zubeen also produced and acted in Assamese movies.
When fractured and unauthentic reports about his sudden demise in Singapore started beaming, it was really difficult to guess how Zubeen had to die, was it a mishap in paragliding, scuba diving, yacht or any usual sea outing. Widely circulated newspaper of the island nation, The Straits Times reported on 19 September that Zubeen was admitted in a critical condition at Singapore General Hospital after a freak accident from where the police rescued him from the sea and rushed him to hospital. Although doctors provided treatment to him in the intensive care unit and monitored his condition closely, they could not revive him. “In response to The Straits Times’ queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at St John’s Island at about 3.30 pm. A 52-year-old man was taken unconscious to the hospital, where he subsequently died, they said, adding that no foul play is suspected,” reported the daily newspaper.
Zubeen’s mortal remains were received by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at New Delhi international airport and soon he was flown back to Guwahati on 21 September. A flower-decked ambulance carried him driving amidst unprecedented crowds to his Kahilipara residence and later moved to Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex (formerly Sarusajai Stadium) in Guwahati, where Zubeen was put inside a glass-casket, for public viewing and homage. Later he was cremated on 23 September at Kamarkuchi near Guwahati with full state honours after four days of mourning by the government. Many people in Jorhat demanded to perform his last rites there, as Zubeen’s ancestors hail from the eastern Assam locality, but the family consented to the place in the city’s outskirt and the government proceeded subsequently. Earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi with many of his ministers, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi with others and many national film-stars and singers mourned Zubeen’s death at only 52.
Meanwhile, over 50 police complaints are lodged against Shyamkanu Mahanta (chief organizer of North East India Festival) and Siddharth Sharma (manager of Zubeen) in various police stations in Assam, where one FIR added the names of Shekarjyoti Goswami (Zubeen associate) and Sanjive Narain (businessman and owner of Prag News), alleging that Zubeen had to die in Singapore because of their collective callousness. The government has ordered a probe against and directed the State police chief to transfer all FIRs to the criminal investigation department under Assam Police. Even though an autopsy was conducted in Singapore before handing over Zubeen’s body, another post mortem was conducted at Gauhati medical college hospital in the presence of an AIIMS Guwahati doctor before cremation as many alleged foul play in Zubeen’s untimely death following an accident outside the country. According to the death certificate, issued by the Singaporean government, Zubeen died due to drowning, but his postmortem report is still awaited.
