Zubeen Garg Last Rites: Legendary Singer Laid To Rest With Full State Honours

Zubeen Garg, the music legend of Assam, was laid to rest on Tuesday (September 23) at Kamarkuchi village in Sonapur. Ahead of his last rites, Garg's second post-mortem was carried out at the Guwahati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH) in the presence of AIIMS doctors, confirmed Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Divya Pate, as per reports. The singer's mortal remains were brought back to the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex, Sarusajai, before being taken for the final rites.

Braving the scorching heat, sea of fans gathered at the cremation site to bid a final farewell to their beloved singer Zubeen Garg. Several fans could be seen crying inconsolably.

Zubeen Garg's funeral

Zubeen's mortal remains were taken in a flower-decked ambulance and draped in traditional Assamese gamosas and placed inside a cold glass coffin. His portraits were placed in the front and back of the vehicle, and thousands of fans walked alongside the cortege. 

Several politicians, organisations, family members and friends paid their last respects to the icon.

After four days of mourning, Zubeen's last rites were performed by his younger sister, Pami Borthakur. She was accompanied by Rahul Gautam Sharma, a writer and lyricist, who wrote several songs for Zubeen and shared a close bond with the singer.

How Zubeen Garg died

Zubeen, 52, passed away in a tragic accident in Singapore on September 19. Initial reports suggested that he died in a scuba diving accident, but later, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma clarified that Zubeen died while swimming without a life jacket. The death certificate, issued by the Singapore High Commission, cited drowning as the cause of death. 

Zubeen went to Singapore to participate in the Northeast India Festival.

Zubeen was more than a music composer and actor. He was an actor, philanthropist, and a true cultural icon of not only Assam, but the entire Northeast.