Indian musician Zubeen Garg, who tragically passed away while swimming in Singapore on September 19, is scheduled to undergo a second post mortem at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Tuesday morning, as announced by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Garg had gone to perform at the Singapore North East India Festival, which was scheduled for the following day. Preliminary reports indicate that an epileptic seizure may have contributed to the accident, as he had a history of such seizures over the past five years. The Singapore team conducted a preliminary post-mortem and handed over the body to his family and colleagues, stating the cause of death as drowning, as per the death certificate seen by HT.
Why a Second Post-Mortem?
CM Sarma said the Assam government granted permission for a second post-mortem due to demands raised on social media and to ensure transparency in the case. “A new demand has cropped up on social media on Tuesday seeking another post-mortem of Garg’s body in Assam. In view of that and after taking consent of his family, the state government has decided to conduct another post-mortem on Garg’s body in Guwahati on Tuesday,” Sarma said.
He added that he was not personally inclined to having a second postmortem examination of the singer’s body, adding that he does not wish to ”cut up his body” again, according to PTI. “After the Singapore doctors had conducted the autopsy, I don’t think it was necessary as they have more technical expertise, but there should not be any scope for any section to indulge in any kind of politics over Zubeen,” he said.
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The new post-mortem will be conducted at GMCH, with doctors from AIIMS Guwahati in attendance. After the investigation is complete, Garg will be accorded state honors at his funeral. His body will be taken to Kamarkuchi in Sona Pur at around 10 a.m., where 85 family members, relatives, and close associates will be present.
Several police complaints have been filed at various police stations, accusing North East Festival organizer Shyam Kanu Mahanta and Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma of suspicious acts. These complaints have been forwarded to the Assam CID for further investigation.
