Prison inmates light candles in tribute to Puneeth Rajkumar

In a moving gesture, hundreds of inmates at the Central Prison in Parappana Agrahara mourned actor Puneeth Rajkumar’s death in a small tribute around 11 a.m. on Sunday. They lit candles, while some recalled their interaction with Puneeth during one of his film shoots inside the prison.

The actor had interacted with not just the police, but also some of the inmates and spent time listening to their grievances. He later donated an ambulance to the Central Prison, said an official.

“A majority of the prisoners are his fans and were grief-stricken by his sudden death. There was complete silence on Sunday morning when all of them gathered at the hall to pay their respects to the actor. Many had tears in their eyes,” said Superintendent of Central Prison R. Latha. She added that Puneeth’s interaction with the inmates had even inspired many to reform themselves. “He touched many lives here. Each inmate sat down looking at the photo of the star and mourned.”

A senior officer said he had never seen such a moving and emotional function within the prison premises.