SONAPUR: The smell of incense and flowers fills the air as fans from across Assam continue to flock to 'Zubeen Kshetra' at Hatimura, falling under the Dispur Assembly constituency.
Zubeen Kshetra is the late Assamese music icon Zubeen Garg’s (52) final resting place, sprawling across 10 bighas (one bigha is 14,400 sq ft in Assam) by the side of National Highway 27.
The rains have brought temporary relief from dust to the roadside eateries, tobacco vendors, and shops selling framed photos of the singer.
They mushroomed amid a steady footfall of fans.
However, six months after the legend’s passing, work on developing the site finally started last week. A boundary wall is coming up too, initiated by the state’s Public Works Department.
People, particularly youngsters, in Assam have yet to come to terms with the circumstances surrounding the larger-than-life icon’s death.
Now, as the April 9 elections draw near, anger is palpable, but whether it erodes the BJP’s votes remains to be seen.
“I feel Zubeen da will not get justice like what happened to Michael Jackson. Great souls never get justice. Zubeen da was a great soul,” said Diganta Gohain at Zubeen Kshetra.
He came all the way from Lahowal in Upper Assam’s Dibrugarh district, around 500 km from Hatimura, to pay his homage to Assam’s 'heartthrob'.
Gohain is among those who believe that Zubeen Kshetra has still not received adequate government attention.“The site should have been developed by now. Six months is a long time,” he said.
He felt that alleged non-attention to the site might affect the BJP's electoral outcome.
Jitu Dutta, another visitor, who came from Northern Assam’s Dhemaji, however, insisted that people should keep Garg above politics.
“I want that Zubeen da to get justice, but nobody should make his death a political or election issue,” he stressed.
“Work is underway. The government has also set up a dedicated fast-track sessions court for speedy trial in the case so that justice is delivered early. It will be wrong to say that the government has not done anything,” he added. The issue at hand is giving justice to Garg.
The demand intensified following Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s claim in November 2025 that the singer was murdered as part of a conspiracy.
Two days ago, a coroner’s court in Singapore, however, said Garg had accidentally drowned while swimming in the sea in the country.
The BJP, which earlier took out a “Nyay Yatra,” cited the arrest of seven suspects, a rigorous investigation into the case and the filing of a charge sheet well before time to prove its commitment to ensuring justice in the case.
It asked Opposition parties to stay away from politics on the issue.
However, the Congress alleged that the BJP itself made it a political issue, pointing out that it was the Chief Minister who had explicitly mentioned that people should not vote for the party if the government did not deliver justice to Garg.
The singer was a known critic of the BJP government. He had criticised it over issues including the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and felling of trees.
He had actively taken part in the anti-CAA protests and criticised the government when very old trees were brought down in Guwahati during the construction of a flyover.
Observers say the perceived undercurrent of anger could swing the votes of the youngsters in favour of the Opposition parties. Garg had travelled to Singapore to perform at the 4th North East India Festival (NEIF).
The NEIF organiser, Shyamkanu Mahanta, and the singer’s manager Siddharth Sharma are among the seven people arrested in connection with his death.
Garg's demise left a void that transcends the world of music. In death too, he remains a powerful voice.
