Assam: Akhil Gogoi storms Assembly grounds, demands CM’s resignation over Zubeen Garg probe
Guwahati: In a dramatic escalation of public fury over the mysterious death of Assamese cultural icon Zubeen Garg, Raijor Dal chief and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi staged a solitary protest at the Assam Legislative Assembly campus on Tuesday morning.
As the winter session commenced amid tight security, Gogoi demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of failing to deliver justice in the high-profile case.
Gogoi, who arrived unannounced, dressed in a traditional Assamese Dhoti-Kurta, unfurled banners and raised slogans outside the assembly gates, drawing a small crowd of supporters and journalists.
“Himanta Biswa Sarma, as home minister, has utterly failed Assam’s people. Resign now to allow an impartial probe,” he thundered, echoing months of statewide agitations following Garg’s tragic drowning on September 19 off Singapore.
The singer, 52, was in the city for the North East India Festival when the incident occurred, sparking suspicions of foul play.
Gogoi renewed calls for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry, capital punishment for the culprits, and investigations into Union Minister Pabitra Margherita and Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, CM Sarma’s wife, for alleged links to the festival organizers.
The five-day session, which began with ordinance presentations and discussions on supplementary grants, is overshadowed by the case.
CM Sarma, vowing to issue a chargesheet by December 10, earlier dismissed the protests as "political opportunism," claiming 50% would end with his resignation and the rest if opposition leader Gaurav Gogoi were installed as chief minister.
Gogoi’s defiance follows a defamation suit filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma over his claims linking her firm to post-death events.
Meanwhile, on Monday, he visited Garg’s samadhi in Kamarkuchi, pledging the session to the legend’s memory. As opposition voices swell ahead of the 2026 polls, the assembly risks descending into chaos, with #JusticeForZubeen trending fiercely.