GUWAHATI: Popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg has apologised a day after he ticked off an unidentified Army officer at the New Delhi airport for objecting to his wearing an Army cap with the force’s insignia on it.
The officer, a major stationed at Tenga in Arunachal Pradesh, asked the singer to remove the Army cap as it was illegal for a civilian to wear a military outfit. Garg said he told the officer: “You are a major, but I am a colonel and you should salute me.” The singer played the role of a colonel in the Assamese movie Mission China, which was released last week.
Chastened by an adverse reaction to his insult of the Army officer, Zubeen Garg wrote a profuse apology on his Facebook page on Wednesday: “I have seen adverse reactions to my recent comments at the airport. Some people are arguing it to be a defamation of the dignity of Indian army. It was entirely unintentional and nothing was meant seriously! I love Indian Army and people who follow my activities can trace various events where I was involved to pay my tribute to these people who never compromise on the integrity and security of our country…
“Anyway I have realized that somehow or other I have hurt the sentiments of Indian Army and I would sincerely like to apologise for that. I am so passionate about Army that I made Mission China as an expression of my hidden desire to be a part of it! Love and respect for them!”
Taking strong exception to Garg’s utterances, Bikash Kumar Das, a retired Indian Air Force sergeant from Assam, had written to defence minister Nirmala Sitaraman demanding action against the singer.