HT Correspondent
JORHAT, Sept 22: Life in Jorhat has remained paralysed for the fourth consecutive day as protests over the demise of singer Zubeen Garg took a disturbing turn, with rowdyism and hooliganism coming to the fore.
Youths claiming to be fans of the late music icon have continued their blockade of National Highway 715 at the Ajanta bypass since Sunday night, causing severe disruption of traffic across Upper Assam and immense hardship to the public.
The blockade, staged in support of the demand that the mortal remains of Zubeen Garg be brought to Jorhat for a few hours before cremation in Guwahati, has crippled vehicular movement.
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Ambulances and passenger buses were stopped, with several women travellers heading towards Upper Assam districts and Guwahati left stranded for hours without basic facilities.
Protesters forcefully obstructed vehicles, placing barricades on the highway and reportedly misbehaving with commuters.
Adding to the unrest, a group of hooligans on Monday barged into a citizens’ meeting organised at the Jorhat Press Club to mourn the singer’s demise, disrupting the gathering and issuing threats to break up the institution.
Alarmed by the development, police have deployed forces in large numbers at the Press Club to prevent further disturbances.
Despite a large section of the population expressing grief over the loss of the celebrated singer and demanding that his last rites be performed in Jorhat, people from all walks of life have strongly disapproved of the disruptive protests.
Citizens pointed out that Zubeen Garg had always stood by ordinary people and would never have endorsed actions that inflicted suffering on them.
One incident that drew particular outrage came from a young widow of Jorhat, who had lost her husband 11 days ago.
Taking to social media, she expressed anguish that her relatives, who were coming to attend the shraddha ceremony, had been blocked by protesters and prevented from reaching her residence.
Her post highlighted the insensitivity of the agitation towards the plight of fellow citizens.
Repeated efforts by the Jorhat district administration to end the blockade have failed so far.
District Commissioner Jay Shivani personally visited the site late on Sunday night and appealed to the protesters to withdraw in the interest of the public.
However, the agitation continued unabated till Monday, compounding the hardships faced by commuters and residents alike.
Daily wage earners, rickshaw pullers and cart pullers have also been badly hit, as work has come to a standstill, leaving them without income.
Local markets are witnessing shortages of vegetables and essential groceries.
Vendors attempting to resume business at Neuville Road on Monday were chased away by protesters, further intensifying the crisis for households in the town.
As Jorhat grapples with disruptions caused by the continuing blockade, many citizens have called for restraint and appealed to the mourners to honour Zubeen Garg’s memory in a dignified manner, without resorting to violence or actions that deepen the suffering of the very people he inspired through his music and life.
