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BANGALORE: Eight persons, including a police constable, died as mobs ran riot in Bangalore on Thursday while lakhs paid homage to Kannada superstar Rajkumar who was buried with state honours.
The first fatality occurred in the morning when police opened fire in self-defence after irate fans of the actor attacked their bus near the Kanteerava stadium, where Rajkumar’s body was kept for public viewing. The man killed was identified as Muniraju, 30.
The mob retaliated and stoned a constable after chasing him a few hundred metres. Manjunath Mallali, 25, died in hospital later in the afternoon. At least 30 others injured in the incident were admitted to hospital.
At the stadium police had to burst tear-gas shells and resort to a lathi-charge to control thousands of men, women and children bearing flowers, who wanted to catch a last glimpse of the actor.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy was whisked away from the stadium for security reasons. His deputy, BJP leader BS Yediyurappa, suffered minor injuries when fans pelted him with stones.
Police estimate that 5,00,000 people joined Rajkumar’s final journey as the cortege left the stadium and headed for Kanteerava Studio, where he was buried in the evening, according to the custom of his Idiga community.
Soon after the burial, police again had to open fire at a mob burning vehicles and damaging shops, killing three more.
But the violence continued into the night.
Rampaging fans of the matinee idol continued to set fire to cars, buses, and police jeeps and stone offices. The entire city became a ghost town. Arsonists set two petrol pumps ablaze on the Bangalore-Mumbai National Highway 4. Several platoons of the Rapid Action Force and Karnataka State Reserve Police were deployed to control the situation.
The government had declared a public holiday on Thursday to mourn the hero.
