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Crowd swells outside singer Zubeen Garg's Guwahati residence ahead of funeral; scuffle breaks out at airport
The later singer's body will remain at his residence for around one-and-a-half hours for the family members to pay their last respects.
A massive crowd of fans of late singer Zubeen Garg – who lost his life while swimming in Singapore without a life jacket – gathered outside his residence and on roads in Assam's Guwahati on Sunday, ahead of his funeral.
Security personnel were also deployed outside Zubeen Garg's residence. The late singer's casket arrived in Guwahati early on Sunday, and was received by his wife Garima Saikia. Later, the mortal remains of singer Zubeen Garg were taken to his residence, with hundreds of people surrounding the vehicle on its way. Zubeen passed away after a scuba diving accident in Singapore on 19th September.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who went to Delhi to receive Zubeen Garg's body, had said that the casket carrying the singer's remains could not be accommodated in any chartered flight and was flown to Guwahati from Delhi on a regular flight.
Hundreds of people had gathered outside the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport since Saturday to receive Zubeen Garg's mortal remains. A scuffle broke out amid the crowd on Saturday, with the police resorting to mild lathi charge to disperse the gathering, PTI news agency reported.
The later singer's body was to be kept at his residence for around one-and-a-half hours for the family members to pay their last respects, PTI reported. The body will be later shifted to Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex for people to pay their homage between 9 am and 7 pm.
While the details of the last rites of the singer are yet to be finalised, the Assam government will consult Garg's family and different organisations on the same. The state's Cabinet will meet on Sunday evening to decide the cremation venue.
Assam CM pays tribute to Garg at Delhi airport
Garg's body arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi a little before midnight, on Saturday. The casket was received by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who paid his tribute to Garg. Sarma was accompanied by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and senior Assam government officials who are posted in Delhi.
Sarma on Saturday said that Garg had gone on a yacht trip that involved swimming, adding that he had been asked by the lifeguards to wear safety gear.
“Garg had initially worn the life jacket, but after a few seconds, he took it off, claiming that it was oversized and he was finding it difficult to swim,” PTI quoted Sarma as saying.
He was later found floating in the sea, following which lifeguards immediately administered CPR and rushed Garg to Singapore General Hospital. CM Sarma said. However, he was declared dead at the hospital. The Singapore authorities are currently questioning people who had accompanied the singer.
