Zubeen Garg's funeral: Mortal remains to be kept at Sarusajai Stadium for public viewing; cremation details to be announced

The funeral and final rites details of singer Zubeen Garg have been announced. The Assam Chief Minister, on Saturday, shared details about the elaborate prep for the singer's final journey.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed the arrangements in a social media post. According to the post, the singer's mortal remains will be kept at the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex (Sarusajai Stadium) in Guwahati on Sunday, for public viewing from 9 AM to 7 PM.

Public viewing details

The statement read, “The Government of Assam, with deep sorrow, informs that the mortal remains of Shri Zubeen Garg, an artist larger than life, a cultural icon, filmmaker, and the eternal heartthrob of millions, will be kept at Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex (Sarusajai Stadium) tomorrow, September 21, from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, for friends, followers, and admirers to pay their last respects. All are requested to extend their cooperation in ensuring that the final journey of Assam's beloved son is conducted with dignity and becomes a farewell to be remembered for all time.”

The Chief Minister further informed that the singer’s post-mortem has been completed. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, he said that the mortal remains were expected to arrive at the Indira Gandhi International Airport around midnight on Saturday, after which, it will be first be flown from Delhi to Guwahati on a special flight. “It will take some time to transfer the body to the domestic terminal. We expect the flight to take off from Delhi around 2 am,” he noted.

In an appeal to the fans, he added, "We request that the public allow Zubeen's family to spend some private time with him, as that will be their last moment together."

Cremation plans under discussion

The Chief Minister added that he will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday morning to discuss the cremation plans before leaving for Guwahati in the afternoon. A cabinet meeting has also been scheduled for 6 pm in Guwahati to finalise the details. Fans can expect the arrangements to be announced after the meeting.

Appeal for peace

Zubeen’s wife Garima Saikia Garg made a tearful appeal to withdraw FIRs filed against the singer’s manager, Siddhartha Sharma, stating that he was 'like a brother' to the singer and a member of the family. The Chief Minister said, “I respect her sentiments, but the law will take its course as the people of the state have the right to know what happened to the singer in his last moments.” He confirmed that Sharma and others who were present at the time of the singer’s death would be questioned by police.

Sarma also urged the public to maintain peace. “We should not create a situation that will lead to any kind of untoward incident which will be disrespectful to Zubeen's memory,” he said, as reported by ANI.