GUWAHATI: Assamese eminent singer Zubeen Garg has issued a statement from the Helcha Bihu stage in Nalbari, demanding an apology from the Chandmari Bihu organisers over an incident involving noted music composer Diganta Bharati.
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Garg, while addressing the audience on Thursday, April 17, stated, “This is not a request—I’m giving an order. They must apologise. That’s it.”
The incident, which took place late on Wednesday night, April 16, has drawn criticism from various quarters of the Assamese cultural fraternity. Diganta Bharati and his wife Bhaswati Bharati have accused a member of the Pub Guwahati Bihu Sanmilan, organiser of the Chandmari Bihu, of insulting the composer on stage after inviting him for a felicitation.
According to the couple, Bharati was invited by the organisers for an on-stage felicitation, although his wife was the scheduled performer for the evening. Following the felicitation, Bharati claimed that he was requested by the organisers to sing for the audience, which he agreed to.
However, when he took the stage, the situation escalated when a member of the committee allegedly snatched the microphone from him, objecting to his appearance in jeans trousers.
Bhaswati Bharati further alleged that the member who intervened appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. She questioned the reasoning behind inviting her husband to the stage only to insult him in front of a large crowd. She also claimed that other individuals in casual attire were not subjected to similar treatment.
A viral video has captured a verbal altercation between the Bharati couple and members of the organising committee, in which the couple demanded a formal apology.
No official statement has yet been released by the Pub Guwahati Bihu Sanmilan regarding the allegations or Zubeen Garg’s remarks.