Guwahati: Five arrested for vandalism at Sonapur dhaba during Zubeen Divas

Sonapur Police, on Monday, September 21, have arrested five youths in connection with the alleged vandalism at New City Dhaba near Zubeen Kshetra on the night of September 19, when Assam observed Zubeen Divas to mark the first death anniversary of singer Zubeen Garg.

The arrested persons have been identified as Narottam Pegu, Ranoj Doley, Arun Doley, Jitu Doley and Nilkantha Pegu. Police said four of the accused are from Majuli, while the fifth is from Lakhimpur. All five were reportedly arrested in Guwahati.

According to police, more than 100 youths had gathered at the dhaba on Saturday night following the closure of the liquor outlet on the premises.

The liquor outlet was reportedly scheduled to remain open until around 10 pm. However, the management allegedly shut it at around 9 pm, citing the situation at the spot and police directions regarding the closing time.

The decision reportedly angered a section of the youths, who demanded that the outlet be reopened. The situation subsequently escalated, with the group allegedly vandalising parts of the dhaba and creating a disturbance on the premises.

New City Dhaba is located around 300 metres from Zubeen Kshetra, where large crowds had gathered throughout Zubeen Divas to commemorate the singer's death anniversary.
Sonapur Police later reached the spot and reportedly resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control.

The five arrested youths are being questioned as part of the ongoing investigation. Police are also examining the circumstances that led to the gathering and subsequent vandalism at the dhaba.