Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday urged the Centre to posthumously confer the Bharat Ratna on singer-composer Zubeen Garg and demanded justice over his death under “mysterious circumstances” in Singapore in September.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Gogoi referred to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent claim that Garg had been murdered.
“I stand in Parliament to pay tribute to one of the greatest sons of Assam, the late Zubeen Garg. Zubeen Garg was a legendary musician. He passed away in Singapore in September when he was due to perform at a function organised by the ministry of external affairs and the high commission of India to Singapore,” he told the House.
Gogoi added: “The people of Assam miss him. We want justice for him. The government of Assam says it was a murder. Then we want to know how during a programme organised by the government of India was a murder committed on foreign soil?”
Garg died on September 19 when he was on a yacht trip with a group of people in Singapore, a day before he was to perform at a live concert. Last month, Sarma told the Assam Assembly that Garg’s death was “plain and simple murder”. The Assam government has constituted a special investigating team to probe the case.
Gogoi, who is the Assam Congress president and the party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, paid tributes to the celebrated artist.
“Zubeen was an artist, humanitarian, environmentalist, wildlife lover, and a voracious reader of books. During the 80s and 90s, he gave the people of Assam hope, and in recent years, he gave us moral courage and steel in our spine. He taught us how to overcome personal trauma and not be divided by religion and caste. Truly, Assam meant tea, oil, rhinoceros and Zubeen Garg. He showed us a vision of ‘Bor Asom’, that is, free from hate, fear, suspicion and mistrust. Zubeen will always be our Kanchenjunga. Today, the people of Assam miss him terribly,” he said.
“We want justice for Zubeen Garg and we request the government of India to confer the highest civilian honour on the late Zubeen Garg,” Gogoi added.
