Nagaland Minister for Tourism and Higher & Technical Education, Temjen Imna Along, has assured that all Naga students studying at Kaziranga University (KU) in Jorhat, Assam, are safe following tensions sparked by a controversial remark made about late Assamese music icon Zubeen Garg. The incident unfolded on Saturday evening when a video of KU student Liseri S. Sangtam, a B.Tech Civil Engineering student from Nagaland, went viral on social media. In the video, Sangtam made remarks that many considered offensive to the memory of Zubeen Garg, who died in Singapore on September 18 after a scuba diving accident. The clip triggered resentment among Assamese students and sections of the public, leading to an attempt by some students and outsiders to create unrest at Hunaru Hostel between 8:30 p.m. and 2 a.m.
Timely intervention by Jorhat police officials—including the Superintendent of Police, Additional SP, ADC, Circle Officer, and OIC Pulibor—prevented escalation. Authorities later moved Sangtam to a safe house. Speaking to the media in Kohima on Sunday, Minister Along said he was in constant touch with Assam minister Piyush Hazarika, Jorhat MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, as well as the Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of Jorhat and Mokokchung. Nagaland DGP was also involved in monitoring the situation. “The situation is now quite normal. Liseri S. Sangtam is in a safe house in Jorhat, and all Nagaland students at Kaziranga University are safe,” he assured. At the same time, the minister urged Naga students to act responsibly, especially on social media. “Our boy should not have spoken such words to hurt the sentiments of the people of Assam. I too am a personal fan of Zubeen Garg, who has made not only Assam but also the Northeast and India proud. We must avoid emotional outbursts online and respect the feelings of others,” Along said.
Following the uproar, Sangtam issued a written apology addressed to the people of Assam. In his statement, he expressed regret for his actions and clarified that he had no intention of disrespecting the late singer. He extended “sincere apologies to late Zubeen Garg, his fans, and all communities of Assam” and assured that such mistakes would not be repeated. Kaziranga University authorities confirmed that additional police personnel had been deployed on campus as a precautionary measure. They also announced the suspension of Sangtam from all academic and hostel privileges until further notice, pending an internal investigation and disciplinary proceedings. “The safety of students, faculty, and staff remains our top priority, and the situation is fully under control,” the university said in a statement.
