Braving heavy rain, thousands of fans and admirers gathered at Jorhat Stadium on Wednesday, October 1, to pay homage to Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg during the 13th day (Adya Shraddha) rituals.
The singer’s ashes, brought from Guwahati a day earlier, were placed for public tribute. Namghars across the state joined with devotional songs, chants and prayers, as the stadium transformed into a sea of remembrance. Despite the downpour, devotees sang his songs, offered flowers and prayed for his soul.
Zubeen’s wife Garima Garg, accompanied by family members, addressed the crowd and described Jorhat as pivotal in shaping her husband’s cultural life. She apologised that his cremation could not be performed in the town, citing his father’s health, and appealed: ‘Please don’t leave me alone. I am your daughter-in-law.’
She also pledged to complete Zubeen’s unfinished projects, including his passion work ‘Roi Roi Binale’.
On the investigation into his death in Singapore, Garima told media that everyone present at the incident site was under suspicion. “The organisers, managers, people in the team… we suspect everyone. We have requested a fast-track probe. We have to know what exactly happened that day,” she said.
Assam Police have already arrested Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma and North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta on charges of conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and negligence. Singapore authorities, too, have reached out to the family as part of the probe.
The state government has announced a second memorial in Jorhat to permanently honour Zubeen Garg’s legacy.
