Zubeen's journey to cremation site to begin at 9:30 am Tuesday after second autopsy: Himanta

Guwahati, Sep 22 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that singer Zubeen Garg's journey to the cremation ground will begin from 9:30 am, instead of the earlier scheduled 7:30 am, on Tuesday after a second postmortem examination is conducted on his body.

The first autopsy was conducted in Singapore where Garg died by drowning on September 19. His last rites will be performed on the outskirts of Guwahati on Tuesday with full state honours.

The second postmortem will be conducted on Tuesday morning at the Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) following demands from certain sections of the people, Sarma said in a press conference here on Monday.

The gates of the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports complex, where his mortal remains have been kept for people to pay tributes since Sunday, will be closed at midnight, the CM said.

Those who enter the complex before midnight will be allowed to pay their tributes to the singer.

The body of the singer will be taken to the GMCH for the postmortem and brought back to the sports complex from where his final journey will begin for the last rites at the cremation site in Kamarkuch NC village, he said.

Sarma who reviewed the preparations at the cremation ground earlier in the day had said that his last journey will begin at 7:30 am.

All schools, colleges and universities across the state will remain closed on Tuesday while all government offices in Kamrup (Metro) district will be closed.

His family has provided a list of 85 family members, close relatives and associates who will be present at the cremation and buses have been arranged for them to travel to the site, around 20 km from the sports complex, but no other vehicle will be allowed in the procession, the CM said.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju will represent the central government while Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal along with representatives of various state governments will be present.

Besides the CM, Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya, Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar, assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia, President and General secretary of the Assam Sahitya Sabha, two representatives of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and a representative of the film fraternity will also be present on the occasion with designated seats, Sarma said.

All others, including ministers and MLAs, will come as common people, he said.

Assam Police personnel will be the pall bearers from the national highway, adjacent to Kamarkuchi, to the site, and they give a gun salute to the deceased singer, Sarma said.

After the gun salute, priests will conduct the rituals before he is consigned to flames.

The highway will also be closed till Jorabat for vehicular traffic for four to five hours on Tuesday for the cremation to pass off peacefully, the CM said.

The state has also declared dry days on Monday and Tuesday while the Meghalaya government has also said that all wine shops will remain closed on the Meghalaya side of the route through which Zubeen's cortege will pass, he said.

''Arrangements are also being planned to screen Zubeen's last rites at possible public venues so that people view and bid a final farewell to him,'' Sarma said.

The CM said that Garg’s wife and family members visited him on Monday at his residence and requested that the 13th day rituals for the singer be held in Jorhat where he spent his formative years.

''The state government will make arrangements for the immersion of his ashes and the 13th day rituals at Jorhat, where Garima and other family members will be present,'' Sarma said.

He said that memorials will be constructed both at Guwahati and Jorhat in the singer’s memory.

''We are keeping a close watch on anti-social elements who are trying to create law and order issues during this tragedy,'' he added.

The decision to cremate Garg at Kamarkuchi NC village was taken at a Cabinet meeting on Sunday, considering the family's wish that his last rites be performed at a place in or around Guwahati.

About the second autopsy, Sarma said, ''It is not a demand from the public but from certain fringe elements and we have decided to conduct it with his wife's consent. We do not want to create any controversy over Zubeen, so this decision was taken.” The postmortem will be conducted by a team of doctors from GMCH and AIIMS, Guwahati.

''It will take around two hours in the morning and so his final journey will begin at 9.30 am instead of the earlier scheduled time of 7.30 am,'' the CM said.

He said that he personally was not interested in ''cutting up his body'' as he is a ''die-hard Zubeen fan but when a section, even if they are in a minority, demands it, my personal wish does not matter. This is democracy''.

After the Singapore doctors had conducted the postmortem, ''I don't think it was necessary for another postmortem as they have more technical expertise but there should not be any scope for any section to indulge in any kind of politics over Zubeen,'' Sarma said.

PTI DG DG NN