Zubeen Garg cremated with state honours, Assam bids tearful farewell

Popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg was cremated with full state honours on Tuesday at Kamarkuchi village, around 20 km from Guwahati, as lakhs of fans, celebrities, and well-wishers gathered to bid him farewell. The Assam Police accorded a gun salute, and the final rites were performed by his sister Palmee Borthakur, in keeping with tradition.The singer’s mortal remains were carried in a flower-decked ambulance from the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex, where admirers had paid homage over the last two days. Draped in the traditional Assamese gamosa and placed in a cold glass coffin, Garg’s body was accompanied by his 85-year-old father, wife Garima Saikia, and other family members.
Thousands of fans walked alongside the cortege, chanting his name and singing his songs, before the pyre was lit. Many broke into renditions of “Mayabini”, one of Garg’s most iconic songs, which he had once expressed should be sung upon his passing.Earlier in the day, a second post-mortem was conducted at the Gauhati Medical College Hospital, following demands from certain sections of the public. His mortal remains were then brought back to the sports complex before proceeding to the cremation site.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the decision for a second autopsy was taken to respect public sentiment, even though he personally did not support it. “As a Zubeen fan, personally I didn’t endorse the idea of a second post mortem on his body. But as Chief Minister, people’s sentiment hold more weight than my opinion. Hence we have consented,” he said in a post on X, adding that the report “cannot be better than Singapore in Guwahati.”

As a #ZubeenFan, personally I didn’t endorse the idea of a second post mortem on his body.

But as Chief Minister, people’s sentiment hold more weight than my opinion. Hence we have consented to cut open his body and do a second post mortem. pic.twitter.com/lHxPkh4rX1

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 22, 2025

Zubeen Garg, aged 52, died in Singapore on September 19 while attending the Northeast India Festival. He had reportedly gone swimming in the sea two days after his arrival, where he tragically passed away.