Bengaluru Shocker: Dr Rajkumar statue burnt down; Fans demand action

Bengaluru, Nov 13: Bengaluru woke up to a burnt and disfigured statue of Dr Rajkumar Memorial on Thursday, Nov 13.

The Kannada cinema idol Dr. Rajkumar's statue was supposed to be unveiled on November 23. But before the big day, it was desecrated by unknown miscreants.

The incident happened in Bangarappa layout in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in the wee hours of morning.

The statue of 'Sipayi Ramu', a Kannada movie from 1972, staring Rajkumar and Leelavati in the lead, was placed on 12th November, covered with plastic sheet and kept ready for inauguration.

The miscreants allegedly poured kerosene over this statue and put it on fire due to which it was partially damaged.

There was no opposition regarding the placing of the statue and the land allotted for the statue was free from issues regarding ownership. Therefore even the concerned authorities couldn't come up with a relevant reason for this incident.

More than 50 policemen have been deployed in the area around the statue to avoid any untoward incident.

The police has taken suo-moto cognizance of the incident and has filed an FIR in the Rajarajeshwari Police Station. Bengaluru City Commissioner MN Reddy assured a thorough investigation into the incident. Commissioner also added that they suspect a group which had earlier tried to construct a temple on the same land.

Rajkumar fans immediately rushed to the spot and hurled slogan against the culprits. Tension prevailed in the area as Rajkumar fan association people and Kannada activists flocked the place and demanded action. Police had to rush to the spot to calm people down and take control of situation.

Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce had also decided to sit for dharna protesting against the incident, but once police ensured action, they decided to withdraw it.

Much awaited Rajkumar memorial inauguration will be held on 29th of November. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be inaugurating the memorial. The Kannada film industry has declared two days holidays for the industry to mark the occasion and to make the function grand success.

Bollywood star Amitabh Bacchan, south indian stars Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Mammootty and other celebrities too have been invited to the function.

OneIndia News