Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a video message on social media has appealed to the people of the state“not to make Assam Nepal in the name of Zubeen” amid a rising mass outcry demanding stern action in connection with its cultural icon Zubeen Garg’s untimely demise in Singapore on September 19.

Mr Garg’s death has triggered mass mourning in Assam along with outcry over his untimely death. This outcry has largely been directed towards Shyamkanu Mahanta and Sidharth Sharma. Asking people not to spread rumours in the Zubeen Garg case, the chief minister appealed against using people’s grief to circulate misinformation and unfounded claims about the Assamese singer’s demise. He assured that the government would ensure that justice is served.

Highlighting Assam’s cultural legacy that “our identity is shaped by historical figures like Lachit Barphukan and Bhupen Hazarika, the chief minister asserted that he was ready to make sacrifices to maintain stability in the state.

“If we cannot get justice for Zubeen, then people should not vote for us in 2026. For now, the public is urged to remain patient and trust the investigating agencies,” said Mr Sarma in his video appeal.

While assuring justice for the Assamese Singer, the state’s chief minister warned that these rumours are meant to unsettle people and emphasised that the government wants to work for Mr Zubeen with dedication. He also asserted that if he fails, then people have the right to punish him.

He further noted that, in the name of Zubeen, we can’t allow Assam to be made into Nepal; we will have to make Assam the best state of India.

“I request you all not to try to make Assam like Nepal. If anyone thinks that violence will bring justice to someone, I think that it can’t be possible. I want to request the people of Assam, don’t take the law in your hands. We have issued look-out notices against Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma, and now they can’t flee to any foreign country. We are attempting to obtain the post-mortem report from Singapore, and the report from Guwahati Medical College & Hospital has already been completed. We have sent the viscera sample to Delhi Central Forensic Science Laboratory so that we can determine whether anyone gave poison to his (Zubeen Garg) body. We freeze all bank accounts, PAN card, and credit card of Shyamkanu Mahanta. If Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma will not come to Assam on October 6 then the Assam police will try its best to bring both to Assam,” the Assam chief minister said.

Assam Chief Minister urged the residents of the state not to incite violence and turn the state “into Nepal”, amid widespread outrage surrounding the death of singer Zubeen Garg.

“…Today, when the people of Assam are protesting to seek justice for Zubeen, I am not separate from them,” the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said in a video on social media. “…I promise that it is my duty as the chief minister of Assam to bring all those involved in Zubeen’s case before the law…”

Garg, a popular Assamese singer, died on September 19 in Singapore. He died during a yacht trip , a day before he was to perform at the Northeast India Festival organised by Shyamkanu Mahanta.

A death certificate issued by the Singaporean authorities on September 20 stated the cause of Garg’s death as drowning. He was cremated near Guwahati with state honours and a 21-gun salute on Tuesday.

After Garg’s death, more than 50 first information reports were filed against his manager Siddhartha Sharma and Mahanta. The state police formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the case lodged by its Criminal Investigation Department against Mahanta, Sharma and others.

The case had been filed under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing death by negligence.

On their part, both Mahanta and Sharma have issued statements on social media saying that they were avoiding returning to Assam out of concern for their safety, The Indian Express reported.

On Thursday, the SIT conducted searches at the homes of Sharma and Mahanta. During the day, protesters also threw stones at police vehicles outside Sharma’s house, after which the security personnel baton-charged them.

Speaking during a live session on social media on Saturday, Sarma said that the protests against Garg’s death was being likened to the situation in Nepal, The Indian Express reported.

After decades of unrest, we have brought a new growth momentum in Assam.

From semiconductors to ethanol to new infrastructure, Assam today is steadfast on its goal to become a developed State- DO NOT TRY TO INCITE VIOLENCE AND TURN IT INTO NEPAL.

The consequences will be HARSH. pic.twitter.com/ocAaFtLriQ — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 27, 2025

Nepal had been plunged into a political crisis earlier this month after protests sparked by its government’s ban on 26 social media platforms. The agitation evolved into a broader protest against alleged corruption and misgovernance.

“In Assam, we will give the example of [Army general] Lachit Barphukan,” the chief minister said. “We will give [king of Kamarupa kingdom] Maharaj Prithu’s example, [singer] Bhupen Hazarika and Zubeen…Not Nepal’s example.”

“If even one property of Assam is damaged, the most hurt will be Zubeen Garg because this is Zubeen’s Assam,” Sarma added. “…There cannot be anti-government politics in the name of Zubeen. We can’t make Assam Nepal in the name of Zubeen.”

The BJP leader also told Mahanta and Sharma to appear before the Criminal Investigation Department by October 6, the newspaper reported. He added that all of Mahanta’s bank accounts had been frozen.

“Have faith in our government,” Sarma urged the public on social media. “We will ensure justice is delivered in the case of our beloved Zubeen. If we fail, please punish us. But don’t use people’s grief to fuel rumours and misinformation.”

Garg’s family files complaint

On Saturday, Garg’s family also submitted a complaint to the Crime Investigation Department seeking an investigation into the circumstances leading to his death, The Hindu reported.

The complaint was signed by the singer’s wife Garima Saikia Garg, his sister Palme Borthakur and his uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur.

“In the complaint, we specifically mentioned Siddharth Sharma and Shyamkanu Mahanta as the accused and requested an investigation against them,” The Hindu quoted Manoj Kumar Borthakur as saying.

He added that family had also requested that Garg’s entire team who were present on September 19 be brought under the ambit of the investigation.

On Sunday, members of the SIT formed by the Crime Investigation Department visited Garg’s residence in Guwahati’s Kahilipara, the newspaper reported. An unidentified officer from the team told The Hindu that they visited Garg’s residence to record the statements of his family members.

Also read: What does Assam’s moment of unity around Zubeen Garg’s death mean in a time of divisive politics?

Nepal and the Gen-Z protest that brought down the government there continue to appear in statements by Indian leaders and the police over different instances — the latest being the protest in Ladakh. A woman pays her respects and another looks on as mortal remains of 24-year-old Stanzin Namgyal, who was killed in violence during recent protests for Ladakh statehood, are being taken for last rites amid curfew in Leh on Sunday, September 28, 2025.(S Irfan/PTI Photo)

And it’s now been used in a warning in Assam too.

After protests for statehood turned violent in Leh, police chief SD Singh Jamwal spoke of alleged foreign links of since-arrested activist Sonam Wangchuk on Saturday, September 27. While putting Wangchuk’s Pakistan visit for an event under the scanner, the DGP was asked by news agency ANI about “foreign connections” of the protest.

“During the investigation, two Nepalese persons were caught. If they are part of some design, I cannot say. This place has a history of Nepalese people working as labourers, so we will have to investigate,” he said.

Earlier, the home ministry officials also referred to Sonam Wangchuk’s “provocative” speeches with “references to Nepal Gen-Z protests and the Arab Spring” as a reason for the Ladakh protest’s violent turn.

Gen Z, a generic term used to describe those born around the turn of the millennium, has acquired deep political meaning over the past month as Nepal’s young protesters overthrew the government there.

In Ladakh, four protesters were killed in the police action after mostly young agitators set fire to the office of the ruling BJP in Leh among other acts of arson and violence.

‘Zubeen’s Assam… will not allow it to become Nepal’

Away in Assam, speaking about reactions to singer Zubeen Garg’s sudden death and theories around the reasons, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of the BJP said: “This is Zubeen’s Assam. We will not allow this to become Nepal. People want justice for Zubeen, we understand that. But not by violence.”

He was speaking about agitation among Garg’s fans even as the state government has ordered a special probe and a second post-mortem after his death and autopsy in Singapore some days ago. Zubeen Garg died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19.

“I request you all not to try to make Assam like Nepal. If anyone thinks that violence will bring justice to someone, I think that it can’t be possible. I want to request the people of Assam, don’t take the law in your hands,” Sarma said.

Sarma also announced the issuance of lookout notices against Shyamkanu Mahanta, the main organiser of the North East India Festival in Singapore for which Garg had gone; and Siddharth Sharma, Garg’s manager, for the police to question them. He said now they won’t be able to flee to any foreign country.

Barbs fly with new keywords ‘Gen Z’ and ‘Nepal’

The foreign and Nepal references come in the backdrop of turmoil in the neighbouring country where violent demonstrations led by groups the self-identified as ‘Gen Z’ unseated the government of PM KP Sharma Oli.

A social media ban was the immediate trigger. But analysts saw nepotism, elitism and corruption among the old political guard as the bedrock of the anger. Civil society activist and former chief justice Sushila Karki is now the interim PM.

In India, on the central political front, too, ‘Gen Z’ has become a rhetorical weapon. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was among the first to mention Gen Z, “for defending the Constitution”, just days after the Nepal turn of events.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey then accused Rahul Gandhi of attempting to provoke unrest in India. Dubey even claimed Gen Z in India would want a Hindu nation.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that lookout notices have been issued against North East (NE) India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma in the singer’s death case. Garg went to perform in the North East India Festival in Singapore where he died by drowning in the sea on September 19. A large section of the people of Assam has been demanding a thorough investigation into his death.

On Facebook Live, Sarma said Mahanta and Sharma must come to Guwahati and make their statements on October 6, failing which the police will intensify a search operation for them. “We want justice for Zubeen. From the stuff out in public forums and police probe so far, Mahanta, Sharma and a few others have to answer for a lot. Through this Facebook Live, I want to tell Mahanta and Sharma, do not test public patience,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that lookout notices have been issued against the two so that they cannot leave the country.

“On October six, we want you two in Assam. As the Durga Puja is there, we don’t want them to come right now. But after that, they cannot escape by giving statements on Facebook or writing open letters on social media,” he said.

Sarma was apparently referring to Mahanta’s video statement through Facebook and Sharma’s open letter on the same social media platform, claiming innocence in any incident leading to Garg’s death by drowning in the sea in Singapore on September 19.

The Chief Minister maintained that if they are truly innocent, they must have the courage to come and present their points. “You will be punished only as per the law. If the law finds you innocent, it will be so. But the Government won’t sit silent if you try to evade the law,” he added.

Sarma, who also holds the Home department, said the State police have a proven record of tracking down those who try to escape, be it rapists or poachers, and they will find the two if they do not come out in response to the notices.

“If they do not want to present themselves before the CID (which is probing the case), they can approach the court,” the CM maintained, asking Mahanta and Sharma not to seek measures such as anticipatory bail. Sarma affirmed that as the chief minister, he will see to it that Garg gets justice. He added that Mahanta’s bank accounts and credit cards have been frozen so that “he cannot remain outside for long”. Sarma said the Government is in the process of getting Garg’s autopsy report from Singapore.

The report of the second post-mortem examination conducted at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital here is also “ready”, the CM said. Sarma said he has written to the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court on Friday for setting up a judicial commission headed by a sitting judge to ensure transparency in the police investigation.

“I have told Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday that we will hand over the case to CBI the day it seems that the Assam Police is not being able to get justice for Zubeen,” the CM added.

On his photographs with Mahanta, Sarma said that being a public figure, he gets pictures clicked with innumerable people. “We will rise above personal relations to ensure justice for Zubeen,” he asserted. Sarma also urged the people to maintain restraint and not to spread or fall for rumours, and asked them to share with the police any credible information they may have.

He also called on the public not to indulge in “anti-Government politics in the name of Zubeen in an attempt to turn Assam into Nepal”. Nepal recently witnessed a nationwide agitation triggered by a social media ban by the K P Sharma Oli dispensation in the neighbouring country.

“This is Zubeen’s Assam. We cite the example of Lachit Borphukan, kings Prithu and Bhagadutta, Bhupen Hazarika, not of Nepal,” Sarma said. On the arrest of some people who had taken to the streets demanding justice for Zubeen, he cited names of two such persons — Ajay Phukan, a Congress leader against whom Garg had purportedly cautioned his fans from dealing with, and Victor Das, who was accused of assaulting a woman.

“My earnest appeal is that don’t try to make Assam into Nepal. Violence cannot bring justice. Law will ensure justice and as Chief Minister, I can assure it,” he added. Sarma also shared his personal fondness for Garg, mentioning how the singer had lent his voice and composed music for songs penned by the chief minister’s deceased father.

“I have been a witness to many important events of Zubeen Garg’s life. I am no less a fan than anyone of him,” the CM added.