Tension prevailed in Rajarajeshwarinagar on Thursday after a mob gathered to protest the defacing of a bust of the late actor Rajkumar. The bust, which was to be unveiled on November 23, was burnt using engine oil and plastic. The bust was installed on Wednesday, near the bus stop, in Bangarappa Layout. The vandalism was first noticed by newspaper vendors around 5.30 a.m. on Thursday and they alerted local people. As the situation became tense, the City Armed Reserve (CAR) and Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) personnel were deployed and the area was cordoned off.
Kumar and Srinivas, who are members of the local Dr. Rajkumar Abhimanigala Sangha, said they had installed the bust and kept watch until 1 a.m.. “We will try to fix the bust in time so that it can be inaugurated as planned,” they said.
The R.R. Nagar police have booked a suo motu case and two special teams have been formed to trace the culprits.
