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All events of the North East Festival in Singapore have been cancelled following the sudden death of Assamese singing icon Zubeen Garg, India’s High Commissioner Shilpak Ambule said on Friday.

 

The 52-year-old artiste, who had travelled to the island nation to take part in the three-day cultural and business festival, was reported dead after what organisers initially described as a scuba diving accident.

 

In a statement, the North East India Festival (NEIF) team said, “It is with deep sadness that we share the news of Zubeen Garg’s passing. While scuba diving, he experienced breathing difficulties and was immediately given CPR before being rushed to Singapore General Hospital. Despite efforts to save him, he was declared dead in the ICU around 2.30 pm IST.”

 

However, hours later, Chief Organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta gave a differing account, stating that Garg had gone on a yacht trip in Singapore with members of the local Assamese community when the fatal accident occurred. “We later learned that a few members of the local Assamese community had taken him on a yacht trip, of which we had no prior knowledge,” Mahanta said.

Also read: Zubeen Garg dies in scuba diving accident in Singapore

 

Mahanta added that Zubeen had landed in Singapore on Wednesday and was scheduled to meet and interact with festival participants on Saturday. “During a business meeting with senior Singaporean industrialists and policymakers, we received a call from Zubeen’s manager informing us that he had met with an accident and had been rushed to Singapore General Hospital,” he recalled.

 

The sudden loss prompted the organisers to scrap all events, including the B2B Trade and Tourism Meet scheduled for Saturday at the Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre. Speeches and celebratory events at the pre-festival dinner on Friday, attended by about 150 guests, were also cancelled.

 

Ambule confirmed the cancellations, describing Garg as the “heart throb” of the region and noting that his passing had cast a deep shadow over the cultural showcase.

 

The festival had been conceived to celebrate the 60th anniversary of India-Singapore diplomatic relations and to mark the India-ASEAN Year of Tourism.