Bangalore- A citizen's critical view..

Man dies, Bangalore burns

Bangalore riots and arson

April 12, 2006 was the day that Kannada film actor Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Mutthuraj passed away in Bangalore. He was 77. He was better known as Dr. Rajkumar.

His name will become synonymous with violence in Bangalore. It was in 2000 that widespread rioting and arson consumed Bangalore when sandalwood thief Veerappan had kidnapped him, from his farm in Gajanur a small hamlet in Tamil Nadu where he was born on April 24, 1928.

In 2006, Bangalore became a funeral pyre when Dr. Rajkumar died of a cardiac arrest. Anti-social elements in the name of his fans ran riot, forcing closure of shops and other commercial establishments. Bangalore was under a virtual dawn to dusk bandh on April 13th, 2006. The previous day itself, offices were forcibly closed in areas such as Rajajinagar, while shops and other commercial establishments in other areas of Bangalore also closed by 7 PM. Bangalore turned into a ghost town, where large MNCs and small shops alike shut down knowing very well that the government and the police would never be able to handle the situation. Offices and commercial establishments closed in an unofficial bandh, not as a mark of respect, but from the knowledge that the government couldn’t ensure the peace and security of Bangalore and Bangaloreans. If this was to be taken as a litmus indicator of the faith of the people in the government, the government has failed the test miserably. The CM was in a state of denial, announcing all the while that the situation was well under control, meanwhile ghastly images on TV showed a city on fire!



Shops were ransacked and looted, public and private vehicles were burnt, and offices of companies such as Microsoft, AXA, etc. were stoned. Corporate Bangalore was forcibly shut down. It was a day when democracy ceased to exist and a few elements dictated what others were to do. Cable operators blacked out all channels except for those channels that they wished the public to view. Lawlessness prevailed on the streets of Bangalore.



After his death, a blundering government shifted his body from place to place around Bangalore; further angering his so called fans. His body was initially moved to the Bangalore Palace, and then shifted to Kanteerva Stadium (earlier Sampangi Tank) and laid there for the public to pay homage. The stupidity of the government in utilizing this as the venue for his body to be viewed is overwhelming. An expensive synthetic track laid for athletics was trampled under millions of feet and later under heavy tyres as riot police stepped in a vain attempt to control berserk crowds. An OB (Outdoor Broadcasting) van of NDTV a well-known news channel was the target of mob fury. The van driver, who came face to face with the mob, was an eyewitness to the fact that many in the mobs were under the influence of alcohol. Many were villagers from around Bangalore, indicating that possibly political and muscle power had paid for their journey to the city, as well as their alcohol supply.




Many in the mobs, were youth leaping with joy in front of cameras, trying to get a few words in front of a camera, not out of respect for the departed soul, but to satisfy their vicarious pleasure of seeing themselves on camera. Several buildings and vehicles had pasted photos of Dr. Rajkumar on their windows hoping to escape mob fury. His face had become a sign of “mafia protection”!



Forcibly closing shops were not enough for rioting anti-social elements in Bangalore. Fashion guru Prasad Bidapa was eyewitness to a motorcycle being burnt in front of Bangalore Club, and its rider being beaten. Shattered glass from car windows was strewn on the streets even in areas such as St. Mark’s Road and Grant Road. At least five people have died and several vehicles burnt and several shops looted. At least five people have died and several vehicles burnt and several shops looted. Losses due to closure of businesses and damages caused will be in millions of rupees.

Dr. Rajkumar was finally laid to rest in a fish market-like situation, where his near and dear ones were jostled from side to side. The police were unable to plan and barricade an area for his family to perform the last rites.

You can view some pictures in my photo blog:- Focus, Shoot, “Bang” on Target

Some more info on Rajkumar:-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajkumar

posted by Sunil Pichamuthu @ 11:37 AM
View Profile | View Main Page | View Photos | Go to Top