GHOST CITY

GHOST CITY
The Times of India

Bangalore: Hysterical violence leaving blood on the streets, vehicles burning, and a virtual bandh... Bangalore was brought to a grinding halt on Thursday as it bade farewell to Rajkumar.

What did Bangalore do? Virtually nothing. No petrol or diesel was available, no drivers or cab owners were willing to risk stepping out, banks remained closed and offices, schools and colleges had a holiday, ATMs remained shut, hotels, restaurants, petty chai kadais were all padlocked. Frenzied crowds had taken over the streets.

Every street corner had photos of Natasaarvabhouma Rajkumar with people garlanding it, lighting lamps, burning incense sticks. Almost all cars in the city sported a picture of Rajkumar.

The worst came when the cortege travelled from Kanteerava Stadium to the Kanteerava Studio. The 15-km route was marked with violence.

At the stadium earlier, police were forced to lob teargas shells and lathicharge every five minutes to disperse the fans who rushed to reach star’s body. Eldest son Shivaraj Kumar appealed to the fans: “My father used to call you all as his abhimani devargalu (fans are gods). Devargalu (gods) symbolise peace, I request you to remain calm and allow our father to sleep in peace.’’

That didn’t deter them from rushing towards the body. Shivaraj’s younger brother Raghavendra too made an appeal, but in vain. The police swung into action again around 11 am. Some people collapsed while others ran all over the stadium to escape the lathi.

The VIPs who reached the stadium to pay tributes to Annavru had a tough time.

Veteran actress B Saroja Devi appealed to the fans: “We have worked with him, please allow us to see him for two minutes.’’

As all hell broke loose, many wondered: “Why aren’t the police better prepared having seen the kind of violence when the actor was kidnapped by Veerappan?’’