I cannot accept that people who got angry at being denied permission to see actor Rajkumar’s body wreaked havoc on the city. How can people claiming to be fans resort to such hooliganism on their idol’s natural death? Hooliganism was what it was. At its very worst. The channels that weren’t blacked out on the cable network had only pictures of violence to show. The rowdies even attacked the media persons asking them to focus on them instead of being sympathetic towards the police. What should the media have focused more on? The goons hitting policemen till they bled? Pranksters pelting stones at anything in their sight, which can break or bleed? Crazy mobs making a bonfire of buses and tyres? Just what was it that they wanted more focus on? Another rumor being passed around was that external elements were involved. That seems like a very practical conclusion. The Rajkumar fan club seems to have always been a very volatile group. All they need is a spark to ignite and unleash their fury. But was that what was required on a day when they were supposedly mourning for his passing away? Why couldn’t they give a tearful farewell to express their anguish instead of a bloody one?
I was at a Satyanarayana Swamy’s puja yesterday at a neighbour’s house. The prasadam was held up in Domlur with no transport to reach the puja venue. The gathered people were hesitant to go and get it. After much persuasion one uncle kindly agreed. But only after a big photo of Rajkumar was cut out from the day’s news paper and stuck on the windshield of the car. This was only as a precautionary measure to avert any stones being thrown at the car and to prevent mob attraction.
One of my friend’s car was stoned as he was going home on Wednesday night. What was supposed to do? Stay put wherever he was just because these goons want to mourn?
For Dr.Rajkumar’s family it must have been a nightmare. Granted that he belonged to the people of Karnataka and not just their family but was it this kind of violently behaved people that he belonged to?