"Local Assamese community took Zubeen on yacht trip without our knowledge,” says organiser after singer’s death

The tragic death of Assam’s beloved singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore has taken a new turn with revelations that he had gone on a yacht trip with members of the local Assamese community, a visit organisers of the North East India Festival (NEIF) say they had no prior knowledge of.

Chief Organiser of the NEIF, Shyamkanu Mahanta, told PTI that Zubeen had arrived in Singapore on Wednesday to participate in the three-day cultural festival that was scheduled to begin on September 19. “He was scheduled to be with us at the festival tomorrow, meeting and interacting with people. But in the meantime, a few members of the local Assamese community had taken him on a yacht visit, of which we had no prior knowledge,” Mahanta said.

According to Mahanta, while the NEIF team was engaged in a business meeting with senior Singaporean industrialists and policymakers at a hotel on Friday, they received a distress call from Zubeen’s manager. “We were informed that Zubeen had met with an accident and had been rushed to Singapore General Hospital,” he added.

Later, it was confirmed that Zubeen, who gained international fame with his song Ya Ali, had tragically lost his life following the accident at sea. His mortal remains are currently at Singapore Civil Hospital for post-mortem, after which arrangements are being made to bring him back to Assam.

Calling the incident a “monumental loss,” Mahanta said, “Words cannot express the depth of our grief. In light of this tragedy, we are cancelling the entire festival.”

The North East India Festival, which aimed to showcase the culture, business, and tourism potential of the region, has been suspended as organisers and fans mourn the untimely demise of one of Assam’s most iconic voices.