Rajkumar laid to rest in state funeral;4 dead in police firing

Bangalore, Apr 13 (UNI) Lakhs of grief-stricken fans of Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar bade a tearful farewell to the thespian as his mortal remains were laid to rest with State honours at the Kanteerava Studios here this evening.

The film icon's eldest son Shivrajkumar performed the last rituals in the presence of Rajkumar's wife Parvathamma and other sons -- Raghavendra and Puneet. Ninety rounds of gun shots were fired as his body was laid to rest.

The five-hour-long funeral procession was marred by violence, chaos and confusion and four people were killed when police opened fire to quell irate fans in two places. While one person was killed when the procession started, the three others died when police opened fire to disperse a frenzied mob which indulged in arson and stone-throwing.

Several people, including policemen, sustained injuries in stone pelting incidents and were rushed to nearby hospitals.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy did not attend the funeral ceremony following police advice and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa paid floral tributes to the thespian at the gates of the Studios.

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