Assam CM to meet Amit Shah on Sunday to finalise Zubeen's cremation plans

New Delhi/Guwahati, Sep 20 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Sunday morning to finalise the cremation plan of singer Zubeen Garg who died in Singapore.

The CM, who was earlier scheduled to accompany Garg’s mortal remains to Guwahati after its arrival in New Delhi, told reporters in the national capital on Saturday that Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita would now travel with the body in a chartered flight.

Sarma arrived in New Delhi from Guwahati on Saturday evening.

The singer's body was expected to arrive at the Indira Gandhi International airport around midnight and ''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'', the CM said.

Zubeen, best known for his 'Ya Ali' song, died in Singapore on Friday, while "swimming in the sea without a life jacket", the CM had said.

''I will be there to receive his body at the airport, pay my tributes to him and ensure that the formalities are completed at the earliest and Zubeen is able to reach home without any delay'', he said.

The CM said he will meet Shah to discuss the cremation plan of Zubeen before leaving for Guwahati in the afternoon.

''A cabinet meeting will be held at 6 pm in Guwahati to finalise the cremation details'', he added.

Regarding Zubeen's wife Garima Saikia Garg's appeal to the public not to harbour ill feelings against the singer’s manager, Siddhartha Sharma, and to withdraw the FIRs filed, the CM 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''.

His manager was with him and police will have to question him along with those who were with the singer when he died, he added.

The CM also appealed to the people to maintain peace and not create a situation that will lead to any kind of untoward incident which will be disrespectful to Zubeen's memory.

''Let us all give him a farewell with dignity and respect which he deserves or else we cannot be true to the spirit of love and compassion that he symbolised,'' Sarma said.

He also said after the singer's mortal remains are taken to the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex, earlier called the Sarusajai Sports Complex, from his residence, people can pay their tributes to him from 9 am to 7 pm on Sunday. PTI DG DG MNB