Members of the film fraternity, friends, and family members rushed to actor Puneeth Rajkumar’s house at Sadashivanagar here soon after his death was announced on Friday. Many of them were in shock and in tears as they rushed to see the ‘Power Star’ one last time.
Only his family, friends, members from the film industry, and politicians were allowed inside his house, while fans were stopped on the adjoining roads. There was heavy deployment of police personnel who had put up barricades on the roads leading to his house.
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Puneeth’s eldest brother, Raghavendra Rajkumar, appealed to fans to maintain peace and cooperate to ensure he was sent away with love. He became emotional and said Puneeth was by his side when he fell ill and had even ensured that a pacemaker was placed in his heart. “He ensured that I was able to live. But I could not save him. He has left a huge responsibility on my shoulders,” Mr. Raghavendra Rajkumar said.
He said Puneeth’s wife was in a state of shock and had not come to terms with what had happened.
Some who were with the actor on Thursday night were devastated after learning about his death. Music director Guru Kiran told The Hindu he was with Puneeth late on Thursday and that he was hale and hearty and showed no signs of discomfort.
Politicians across party lines also visited his residence — from the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda to KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar and Higher Education Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan. Many of them were his neighbours and spoke of how he would regularly walk in the area.
Hundreds of fans waited to get a glimpse of the actor. However, the police directed them to Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
