All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) president Utpal Sarma on Friday, September 25, criticised remarks made by Assamese expatriate Abhimanyu Talukdar about singer Zubeen Garg and warned him against making such comments again.
Talukdar, who is based in Singapore, appeared before the fast-track court in Guwahati this week and completed his deposition on Thursday. During his testimony, he said he knew Garg was a famous singer but later learnt about the scale of the singer’s work. He also said he was unaware that Garg had been unwell and denied organising the yacht party.
“They are behaving like Vijay Gupta-lite,” Sarma said, referring to some of those associated with the yacht party.
Sarma alleged that while Zubeen Garg was struggling in the sea, people at the yacht party were laughing, making videos and continuing to enjoy the gathering.
“They should have been brought to Assam. They should have been questioned and kept in jail like Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma. But the Chief Minister did not do this,” he said.
Sarma also questioned the description of some members of the Assamese diaspora as “Bright Assamese”, a term used by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
“Leave ‘bright’ aside. The way they are behaving now, they look like Vijay Gupta-lite. Whether they are bright, gloomy or dull, the Assam Chief Minister will decide,” Sarma said.
He said people who claimed to be Assamese should at least understand the contribution of Zubeen Garg, whose music and work had a deep cultural impact in Assam.
Sarma also warned Talukdar against making what he described as disrespectful remarks about Garg while in Assam.
The comments came as court proceedings into the circumstances surrounding Zubeen Garg’s death continued, with several people associated with the Singapore yacht party appearing as witnesses.
