Septuagenarian Shnatanagoudar, a fan of ‘Annavru’ or Dr. Rajkumar as he was popularly called, travelled all the way from Bagalkot to catch one last glimpse of ‘Appu’ (Puneeth Rajkumar). But the police refused to let him inside Kanteerava Studio, where the actor was laid to rest on Sunday morning.
“I have come all the way to see him. But they are not letting me in,” he said.
He wasn’t the only one. Thousands of fans gathered in front of the studio demanding to be let in to pay their last respects. The police had a tough time managing the crowd even as late as Sunday evening.
However, the State Government has barred the entry of members of the public into the studio until further orders. “As per the rituals, it is better if no one goes there till we do the customary fifth-day rituals on Tuesday. We request all the fans to cooperate with the family till then,” actor Shiva Rajkumar said.
City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Cr.PC around Kanteerava Studio for the next three days. There is also heavy police deployment on site.
