Thousands of fans bid adieu to Zubeen at Guwahati stadium
Guwahati (PTI): Draped in a traditional Assamese 'gamosa', Zubeen Garg's mortal remains arrived in a glass casket at the Sarusajai stadium in Guwahati on Sunday afternoon.
It was as if the skies opened up in mourning as rains lashed the area soon after the casket was brought in, after fans had to wait under a scorching sun for hours.
As a sea of people jammed the sports complex, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the mortal remains would be kept at the stadium throughout the night and also on Monday.
Garg's wife, Garima, who was accompanying the mortal remains, thanked his fans for showering their love.
"Had Zubeen been alive today, he would have been overwhelmed by this show of love. He cannot express himself in words anymore, and on his behalf, I thank each of you," she said, in between tears.
"It was because of this love and blessings that he had received during his lifetime that he could achieve so much within his short span of life," she added.
Garima, a renowned fashion designer herself, said Zubeen wanted all to live in peace and harmony, and the confluence of people of all regions, religions and communities has proven that he was for all.
"His creations will continue to remain with us, especially the youth whom he loved so much," she said, appealing to the fans to pay their homage in a peaceful and disciplined manner.
Family members, ministers and senior government officers led in paying homage to Garg, bowing down, placing flowers and showing their love for the singer-composer.
In a post on X, Sarma said, "More and more people wish to see our beloved Zubeen one last time, and we deeply understand these sentiments."
"Therefore, Bhogeswar Baruah Stadium will remain open throughout the night today for the public to pay their respects to Zubeen. Tomorrow also, the mortal remains of Zubeen will be kept at Sarusajai for people to offer their homage," he added.
Thousands of grieving fans had thronged the venue since morning, while hundreds camped outside it overnight as the administration made elaborate arrangements to receive the body.
Fans, holding aloft cut-outs of the beloved singer, sang his popular numbers through the night, sharing in each other's sorrow.
The mortal remains of Garg, who passed away in Singapore on Friday, have been placed at a pandal inside the sports complex, with an alternate site prepared within the stadium premises in case of heavy rains.
Many people had fainted and taken ill due to the heat in the forenoon.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Trouble ‘Miyas’ everywhere only then they will leave Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Says “Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP are openly against them, we are saying it openly
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
