A Singapore coroner’s inquiry into the death of singer Zubeen Garg has ruled that he died of accidental drowning, The Straits Times reported on Wednesday.

A coroner’s inquiry is a fact-finding process to establish the causes and circumstances of a person’s death.

Garg, a renowned Assamese singer, died on September 19 during a yacht trip in Singapore, a day before he was scheduled to perform at the North East India Festival there.

The death certificate issued by the authorities in Singapore on September 20 stated the cause of Garg’s death as drowning. The authorities reiterated the findings in October and December.

However, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly claimed that the singer’s death was not accidental but was a murder.

Seven persons in India have been arrested in connection with the singer’s death. A Special Investigation Team filed a chargesheet on December 12, accusing four of the seven persons of murder.

On January 14, the authorities in the southeast Asian country said that Garg was “severely intoxicated” and had refused to wear a life jacket when he drowned while swimming in September.

On Wednesday, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said that there was no reason to disagree with the Police Coast Guard’s conclusion after analysing the evidence before him, The Straits Times reported.

The four persons charged for murder are Shyamkanu Mahanta, who was the organiser of the North East India Festival, Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddharatha Sharma and two musicians – Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta – who were with the singer on the yacht.

Besides, Zubeen Garg’s cousin, Deputy Superintendent of Police Sandipan Garg, was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. He had also travelled with the singer to Singapore. Two of Zubeen Garg’s personal security officers, Borah and Baishya, were accused of criminal breach of trust.