Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared an emotional post about late singer Zubeen Garg’s three dogs — Diya, Rambo and Maya — who bid him farewell in Guwahati as he was taken on his final journey on Tuesday.
He posted a video showing the dogs being brought near Zubeen Garg's body and wrote, “It is often said that dogs are a man's best friend and if dogs love you, you are a great man – well for Iko, Diya, Rambo & Maya, Zubeen was their family and today as they bid a final farewell, they must have felt the same emotions which we are feeling now – Heartbroken.”
Follow updates on Zubeen Garg's final rites
Later, the chief minister shared another video of himself paying tribute to the singer, saying, “A few hours left before #BelovedZubeen begins his final journey. A short while ago, I joined his well wishers at Sarusajai Stadium to pay my tributes. The last 2 days symbolised the love he commands over people. There will never be another Zubeen.”
{{/usCountry}}Later, the chief minister shared another video of himself paying tribute to the singer, saying, “A few hours left before #BelovedZubeen begins his final journey. A short while ago, I joined his well wishers at Sarusajai Stadium to pay my tributes. The last 2 days symbolised the love he commands over people. There will never be another Zubeen.”
{{/usCountry}}Last rites at Kamarkuchi
Zubeen Garg’s last rites will be performed with full state honours at Kamarkuchi, on the outskirts of Guwahati.
The 52-year-old singer had travelled to Singapore on September 17 to participate in the North East Festival, an annual showcase of the region’s culture abroad. He died on September 19 while swimming in the sea, with suspicions that an epileptic seizure — something he had experienced several times over the past five years.
A second post-mortem was carried out on Tuesday morning at Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) by its doctors in the presence of specialists from AIIMS-Guwahati, ahead of Garg’s cremation. This followed the initial autopsy conducted in Singapore on September 19.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday that although he personally did not support the idea of a second post-mortem, the state government agreed after requests from certain sections of society. He also remarked that the report “cannot be better than Singapore than Guwahati”.
On Sunday and Monday, lakhs of people queued for hours to pay their respects and bid farewell to Assam’s much-loved singer. Garg’s four dogs — Iko, Diya, Rambo and Maya — were also brought by his family to say their final goodbye.
Authorities in Singapore had conducted an autopsy before handing over the body, with the death certificate listing drowning as the cause. HT has reviewed the document.