Guwahati, October 17: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, arrived in Guwahati on Friday to pay tribute to popular singer Zubeen Garg, who passed away last month in Singapore.
Gandhi was received at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi and other senior state leaders. He is scheduled to visit Garg’s resting place at Sonapur, on the outskirts of Guwahati, to offer his respects. Gandhi will also visit the singer’s residence to convey condolences to his bereaved family before returning to New Delhi, according to Congress sources.
Garg, aged 52, died on 19 September while swimming in Singapore and was cremated with state honours on 23 September near Guwahati. The Assam government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the circumstances surrounding his death.
Ahead of Gandhi’s visit, APCC president Gaurav Gogoi inspected the cremation site on Thursday to review arrangements. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier remarked that while Gandhi’s visit comes 28 days after the singer’s death, it is “better late than never” and welcomed the Congress leader’s gesture to pay tribute.
