Stones fly, smoke plumes rise ...

Stones fly, smoke plumes rise ...
The Times of India

Bangalore: The city came to a virtual halt when emotions ranged from grief to fury as frenzied fans fought to get a last glimpse of their idol Rajkumar. Groups of people forced shutters down and kept buses and autos off the roads. They also indulged in stone-throwing and arson. The roads were littered with shards and burnt tyres.
Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy’s convoy was attacked outside the Kanteerava Stadium when he was there to supervise arrangements for public viewing of the actor.

Violence spread to several areas including KR Circle, N r u p at h u n g a Road, SR Nagar and Hudson Circle areas with crowds stopping vehicles and setting fire to them. At Hudson Circle, a petrol bunk was set on fire.
Elsewhere in the city, a bus was set on fire on Magadi Road, stone-throwing was reported from Rajajinagar I Block, Okalipuram, Malleswaram and Gandhinagar. Tyres were burnt on Hebbal Ring Road and vehicular movement was stopped. In Gandhinagar, groups were seen going around with flags preventing vehicles from plying.

Office-goers left for home fearing violence. The sudden rush increased the number of vehicles on the road, causing traffic jams all over the city. The police top brass sent SMSes to the public appealing with them not to panic.

Earlier, at the thespian’s house in Sadashivnagar, the police had to fire several rounds of teargas and resort to lathicharge to control grieving fans agitated over the actor’s body being constantly shifted from one location to another.

His body was first laid in the garden at his residence. But when the crowds swelled, the family decided to shift the body inside, before taking it to Palace Grounds. Disappointed that they could not get a glimpse of the body, the crowds attacked the ambulance, yanked off the door and clambered on to the vehicle as it left the house. Some of them resorted to stone-throwing, while some stormed into his residence demanding a glimpse of the body. Attempts to calm them proved futile and the police had to fire teargas shells. While that helped briefly, the crowd was still not willing to leave the house. They relented only after the actor’s wife Parvathamma and second son Raghavendra Rajkumar appealed to them.

Crowds also blocked roads in Sadashivnagar, Mehkri Circle and Cauvery junction. The police had a tough time handling crowds in Sadashivnagar and around the Palace. At the Kanteerava stadium, when the body did not arrive on time, people grew restive and police had to resort to lathicharge.