Guwahati: A month after the sudden death of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg, grief still grips the state as thousands continue to visit his cremation site, seeking closure and answers about the singer’s final moments. Garg, 52, died on September 19 while swimming in the sea in Singapore.
On Saturday, fans and well-wishers gathered at his resting place in Sonapur, on the outskirts of Guwahati, lighting earthen lamps, offering ‘gamosas’ inscribed with his lyrics, and singing his songs in remembrance.
Similar tributes poured in at his Kahilipara residence and his music studio at Zoo Road, where his family performed Vedic rituals marking one month since his passing.
Garg’s wife, Garima, who joined the rituals along with his father and sister, said the family shares the public’s longing to know what happened in his final moments.
“We have faith in the investigation. Whom do we trust if not our own legal system? Zubeen was a straightforward person, and we want a straightforward investigation,” she said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state CID, comprising ten officers, is probing the case, with seven people arrested so far.
The team is also coordinating with Singapore Police, which continues its own inquiry.
Officials confirmed that members of the SIT will soon travel to Singapore as part of their investigation.
Among those who came to pay their respects was Italian opera singer Gioconda Vessichelli, Garg’s collaborator in his upcoming film.
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Standing beside Garima, she said, “Zubeen da called me his tigress who stood by him in good and bad times. He was right. I can feel his presence here.”
Across Assam, tributes have not waned since his death. Groups of fans continue to travel in large numbers—some in buses from distant districts like Boko and West Karbi Anglong—to pay homage.
“We wanted to be here with Zubeen da and offer our prayers,” said one mourner.
At the cremation site, chants of “Joi Zubeen” and “Justice for Zubeen” echoed through the air as devotional songs and performances in his memory filled the day, reflecting both the enduring love for the singer and the state’s collective yearning for truth.
