Followers of Assamese star Zubeen Garg organized a road block on Sunday, which blocked National Highway 37 just outside the Ajanta bypass, just before entering Jorhat. The protestors, who were primarily his ardent followers, carried placards, which required the mortal remains of the singer to be revisited to Jorhat, where he spent his childhood, rather than cremated at Guwahati. The demonstration took several hours and had an impact on the traffic, and caught the eye of state officials.
Assam-based Zubeen tragically drowned on Friday, a day before he was supposed to perform at the North East India festival (NEIF). On Sunday, his body was flown to Delhi, and the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, took the dignitary and instructed to ferry the body to Guwahati. Thousands of fans crowded the streets there to give the singer their final goodbyes, and this marked how closely the singer connected the region to her heart.
In a situation where Jorhat residents demanded a local cremation, the chief minister made it clear that the body was not in a good condition, which prevented transporting it to Jorhat to conduct a complete rites ceremony. He reasoned that the family, especially his wife, Garima Saikia Garg, and sister, Pamle Borhtakur, had been urging him that his ailing father, aged 85, could not go to Jorhat to attend his funeral and that future celebrations would be hard to arrange out there. The CM announced that the cremation of the body of the singer would be done with full state honours on 23 September at Kamarkuchi NC village near Guwahati, a place selected because it was close to the family of the singer, and because it was convenient logistically.
As a reaction to the demonstration, Jorhat Police posted a traffic advisory on the social-media platform X in the early morning of Monday, saying that NH 37 was still closed at the Ajanta bypass. The government advised commuters to find other ways, as well as promising that the issue would soon be solved.
The event points to the emotional connection that the fans of Zubeen Garg have with him, and the misunderstandings that can occur when a favorite celebrity dies in a different place. Although the state has ensured a decent farewell in Guwahati, the scream of Jorhat dwellers highlights the significance of cultural funeral rites in Assam in the communal life.
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