Guwahati (Assam) [India], September 21 : Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal paid his respects to Assam's beloved singer Zubeen Garg at the Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex in Guwahati on Sunday.
Sonowal also met Garg's wife, Garima Saikia Garg, and expressed his deepest condolences.
Sarbananda Sonowal said, "We are deeply shocked and saddened. Today, I offered my heartfelt tribute to the mortal remains of Zubeen Garg, a timeless artist who physically departs from us but leaves behind an immortal legacy. His untimely demise is not just a huge loss for Assam's cultural society but also an irreparable loss for the global music fraternity. Zubeen was the soul of Assam -- his voice, vision and creations touched every heart beyond boundaries of caste, creed, language or religion. For us, the people of Assam, Zubeen will remain alive forever as our heartbeat."
Meanwhile, thousands of emotional fans gathered at Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex today to pay their last respects to Assam's popular singer Zubeen Garg, who died in Singapore on Friday.
The mortal remains of the late singer are currently kept at the Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex for his fans and well-wishers to pay their tributes before his funeral.
After Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the singer's remains would be kept at the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex in Sarusajai, the fans flocked to the venue to pay their last respects.
One of the fans called the singer's demise a "great loss for Assam" while paying his last respects.
"He is one of the celebrities who is evergreen. We don't see such a person coming down the line again. When I was in class 6 or 7, we used to hear his songs. We are going to miss those emotions. It's a great loss for Assam," said one of the fans of the singer while speaking to ANI.
After an unexpected turnout at the venue, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the Bogeswar Baruah Stadium will remain open throughout Sunday night, which was earlier slated to be till 7 pm.
Taking to his X handle, CM Sarma said, "More and more people wish to see our beloved Zubeen one last time, and we deeply understand these sentiments. Therefore, Bhogeswar Baruah Stadium will remain open throughout the night today for the public to pay their respects to Zubeen. Tomorrow also, the mortal remains of Zubeen will be kept at Sarusajai for people to offer their homage."
Meanwhile, the Assam government has announced a three-day state mourning in the wake of the death of singer Zubeen Garg.
The Assam CMO stated that there will be no official entertainment, ceremonial programmes, or public celebrations during this period.
The 52-year-old icon of Assam died in Singapore on Friday after a scuba diving accident. His body was flown to Delhi and later transported to Assam on a commercial flight that landed in Guwahati on Sunday morning.
Known as the cultural icon of Assam, Zubeen Garg was not just a singer but also a composer, music director, actor, and filmmaker. With a career spanning over three decades, he lent his voice to thousands of songs in Assamese, Hindi, Bengali, and several other Indian languages.