Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma barred a group of painters from working on public flyovers. This follows a row involving the removal of a mural depicting local music icon Zubeen Garg. Two painters scrubbed the image from a wall, claiming it did not look like the singer. They now face potential arrest if they continue unauthorized work.
Sarma slammed the group, which is allegedly linked to the Students' Federation of India, for their habit of painting Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara on local walls. He questioned the logic behind these choices. "Why paint Che Guevara everywhere when he has no connection with Assam?" Sarma asked. He suggested that if artists want to paint a revolutionary figure, they should stick to local history.
The Chief Minister specifically suggested the artists "paint Paresh Baruah, not Che Guevara," referring to the ULFA (I) chief. He also noted that locations like the Ganeshguri blast site should host murals that honor victims of terrorism instead. To prevent future disputes, the state will select a single, approved photograph of Zubeen Garg for all public murals. Garima Saikia Garg will supply signed reference photos for artists to use moving forward.
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