Guwahati: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has urged the Assam government to withdraw the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) restricting visiting hours at Zubeen Kshetra, the cremation site of late music legend Zubeen Garg at Hatimura, Kamarkuchi, calling the move “unnecessary and insensitive.”
In a statement shared on social media, AASU President Utpal Sarma said the order limiting public entry to the memorial between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. undermines the deep emotional bond people share with the late artist. “Withdrawing the SOP restricting visiting hours at the Zubeen Garg memorial is essential — it is unnecessary and insensitive,” he wrote.
The SOP, issued by Kamrup (Metropolitan) District Magistrate Sumit Sattawan, IAS, on October 23, prohibits entry of intoxicated persons and bans the sale or consumption of alcohol in and around the site. The order followed a Cabinet directive led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier this week to preserve the sanctity of the memorial.
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Reacting sharply, Utpal Sarma said that while maintaining order is necessary, limiting public access fails to recognise the collective mourning of Zubeen’s admirers. “Zubeen Garg’s memorial is not just a public place — it is an emotional space for millions. Imposing time limits is both insensitive and unnecessary,” he stated.
Sarma suggested the government focus on better management instead of restrictions, such as deploying security personnel, appointing caretakers, and installing Breathalyser checkpoints to deter alcohol use. “Banning entry after 10 p.m. in the name of discipline is like shaving one’s head out of fear of lice — an unnecessary overreaction,” he remarked.
He further said that public gatherings at Zubeen Kshetra are peaceful, spontaneous acts of remembrance. “If a few people act irresponsibly, address them individually. Punishing millions of genuine admirers with blanket rules is unfair,” he added.
Rejecting comparisons with other public parks or heritage sites, Sarma asserted that Zubeen Garg’s resting place holds unique cultural and emotional significance. “Assam should set an example by keeping the memorial open 24 hours a day and still managing it peacefully,” he said, suggesting brief closures only for cleaning or maintenance.
Concluding his statement, Sarma likened the public’s grief over Zubeen Garg’s death to a natural force: “The grief and love for Zubeen Garg have swelled like a raging Brahmaputra. If one tries to build unnecessary dams to contain it, only a flood of destruction will follow.”
