'Paint Paresh Baruah, Not Che Guevara': Himanta's sharp remark amid Zubeen mural row

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday clarified the controversy surrounding the removal of a mural of Assamese music icon Zubeen Garg at Ganeshguri, saying the state government had not ordered its removal and that the decision was taken by the painters themselves.

According to the Chief Minister, the painters informed the government that the portrait did not resemble Zubeen Garg, prompting them to erase it. Sarma also noted that the workers involved, including the contractor, are Assamese and admirers of the singer.

"The painters told us that the portrait did not resemble Zubeen Garg, which is why they decided to remove it," Sarma said, adding that even media representations of the mural did not accurately resemble the singer.

To avoid similar controversies in the future, the Chief Minister proposed adopting a single, publicly accepted reference photograph of Zubeen Garg for use in murals, statues and other public displays. He said singer Garima Saikia Garg would provide signed reference photographs that artists could use while creating future portraits.

Criticising the frequent depiction of Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara on public walls, Sarma questioned its relevance to Assam and said public spaces should instead reflect personalities and events connected to the state's history.

Referring to the Ganeshguri blast site, he said murals at such locations should commemorate victims of terrorism and promote anti-terrorism messages. In the same context, he remarked that if artists wished to paint a revolutionary linked to Assam, they should "paint Paresh Baruah, not Che Guevara," referring to the banned ULFA (Independent) chief.

The Chief Minister also warned that the group of painters allegedly associated with the Students' Federation of India (SFI) would no longer be allowed to paint on public flyovers and said legal action, including arrests, could be taken if they continued such activities without permission.