Rahul Gandhi to visit Assam today to pay tribute to Zubeen Garg

Guwahati: Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will arrive in Guwahati on Friday afternoon to pay homage to legendary singer Zubeen Garg at Sonapur, near Guwahati.

"I welcome Rahul Gandhi; at least he is coming to pay tribute to Zubeen Garg. If necessary, I will join him while visiting Zubeen Garg's family in Guwahati," said Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during a press conference on Thursday.

According to a statement from the Indian National Congress, Gandhi will pay tribute to the late cultural icon at his Samadhi Khetra in Sonapur at 1:30 pm. Afterward, he will meet Garg's family members in Kahilipara at 2:30 pm. Gandhi is expected to return to Delhi later in the day.

Reacting to the visit, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma remarked, “Der aaye, durust aaye,” meaning “Better late than never.” Sarma pointed out that Gandhi’s visit comes 28 days after the singer’s death, adding that “many others had come earlier to offer their condolences.”

In a significant legal development, the Gauhati High Court has overturned an order allowing additional witnesses in a nine-year-old criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi. The decision provides relief to Gandhi in this long-running matter.

Justice Arun Dev Choudhury heard the criminal revision petition on Monday and quashed the September 2023 order from the Additional Sessions Judge, Kamrup (Metro), which had allowed the inclusion of new witnesses.

The defamation case, filed by RSS worker Anjan Kumar Bora, stems from Gandhi’s 2015 claim that RSS members prevented him from entering Barpeta Satra, an allegation that Bora considers false and defamatory.

Earlier, the trial court had recorded statements from six witnesses by March 2023 and refused to include three more.

However, Bora successfully challenged that order before the Sessions Court.

The High Court’s latest ruling restores the original decision, barring the inclusion of additional witnesses.

Gandhi’s visit and the legal relief come at a politically charged time in Assam, where the emotions surrounding Zubeen Garg’s death continue to resonate deeply across the state.

On July 16 this year, Gandhi visited Guwahati for a day-long political tour with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge after Gaurav Gogoi assumed office as the state Congress president ahead of next year’s Assam Assembly elections.