Singer Zubeen Garg's body arrives at Guwahati airport

Guwahati, Sep 21 (PTI) The mortal remains of popular singer Zubeen Garg arrived at the airport here on Sunday morning as thousands of fans gathered there to welcome the artiste back home one last time.

His wife, Garima Saikia Garg, and senior state government officials were at the airport to receive the body. The mortal remains were taken out of the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport through the VIP exit in a flower-bedecked ambulance.

The body will be taken to Ganrg's Kahilipara residence, where it will be kept for about one-and-a-half hours for his family members, including his 85-year-old ailing father, to pay their last respects.

Later, it will be taken to the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex for people to pay their homage from 9 am to 7 pm.

Details of the last rites are yet to be finalised, with the state government set to consult the singer's family and different organisations. The Assam Cabinet will meet on Sunday evening to decide on the cremation venue.

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that the casket carrying the singer's body could not be accommodated in any chartered flight and was flown to Guwahati from Delhi on a regular flight.

The flight carrying Garg's body left New Delhi at 4:30 am.

The body arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi around Saturday midnight from Singapore, where he died a day earlier while swimming in the sea without a life jacket.

CM Sarma received the singer's body at the airport and paid his tribute. He was accompanied by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and senior Assam government officials posted in the national capital. PTI DG NSD NSD