The last rites of Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, who died on Friday of a heart attack, will be performed with state honours at Bengaluru’s Kanteerava Studios, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai’s principal secretary, N Manjunatha Prasad told news agency ANI.
Bengaluru police told ANI that a ban on the sale of liquor has also been enforced in the city for two nights as a precautionary measure, and intensive patrolling is being done to keep any wrongful incident at bay.
Bommai said that Rajkumar’s body will be kept for public viewing in the Kanteerava Stadium until Saturday. He has also urged people to behave in a peaceful manner and lose their mental state or trigger any untoward incident tomorrow.
Several prominent personalities both from the film fraternity and outside, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bommai, have expressed shock and grief over the untimely demise of the leading actor, who was 46 at the time of his death.
{{/usCountry}}Several prominent personalities both from the film fraternity and outside, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bommai, have expressed shock and grief over the untimely demise of the leading actor, who was 46 at the time of his death.
{{/usCountry}}Calling the Sandalwood star’s death a “cruel twist of fate,” PM Modi said this was “no age to go” and that the “coming generations” will remember Rajkumar for his works and wonderful personality. Meanwhile, Bommai termed the news to be a “huge personal loss” and “one that’s difficult to come to terms with.”
The leading actor suffered a heart attack while working out in a gym on Friday morning. A doctor said that Rajkumar experienced chest pain during the workout session, which later was confirmed from an ECG to be a heart attack.
His death was confirmed by Karnataka minister Dr CN Ashwathnarayan. In a statement, Vikram hospital said that Rajkumar was “non-responsive” and in cardiac asystole when brought to them. “Immediate advanced cardiac life support measures were initiated for resuscitation… Panel of medical experts extended all efforts to save him. He was declared dead at 2.30pm,” the statement added.