“Assam Mourns: Zubeen Garg’s Second Post-Mortem Completed, Last Rites Preparations Underway”

A second post-mortem of Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, who died on September 19 in Singapore, was carried out on Tuesday morning at Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) before his cremation. Doctors from GMCH and AIIMS-Guwahati performed the examination.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he personally did not support a second post-mortem but consented to it due to public sentiment. “As a Zubeen fan, personally I didn’t endorse the idea of a second post-mortem. But as Chief Minister, people’s sentiment holds more weight than my opinion,” he wrote on X. He added that the Singapore report was likely as conclusive as the one in Guwahati.

Garg, 52, died in Singapore while participating in the Northeast India Festival. He had arrived on September 17 and passed away two days later while swimming. Singaporean authorities had conducted an initial post-mortem, listing drowning as the cause of death.

On Sunday and Monday, lakhs of fans gathered to pay their respects. The singer’s four pet dogs — Iko, Diya, Rambo, and Maya — were also brought to bid farewell.

Zubeen Garg’s last rites will be held with full state honours at Kamarkuchi on the outskirts of Guwahati. Schools across Assam will remain closed on Tuesday in observance of the ceremony.

Police complaints alleging foul play against festival organisers Shyam Kanu Mahanta and Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma have been referred to Assam’s CID for investigation.