Final farewell: Thousands of fans from across Karnataka travel to Bengaluru
The Hindu
Many wait in queues for hours on end before being allowed entry into the stadium
Disbelief and grief were the predominant emotions among the thousands of fans who gathered at Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday to pay their last respects to actor Puneeth Rajkumar. Groups of friends and families, including parents with children in tow, travelled from as far as Kalaburagi, Raichur, Yadgir, Ballari, and other parts of northern Karnataka by trains and buses on Friday itself to make the overnight trip. To meet the demand, additional buses were operated on Friday night.
A group of fans was seen hoisting Kannada flag and carrying photos of the actor, while another played popular songs from his films on portable sound system that they had brought with them. Gurulinga, a fan from Kalaburagi, said, “I travelled by Udyan train with my friends. Like us, many people had boarded the train to see Puneeth for the last time.”
Around 440 MBBS graduates of 2021 are not required to undergo one year of compulsory rural service as per the bond signed by them while joining the medical course through government-quota seats in 2015 as the High Court of Karnataka has said the law, enacted in 2012 for mandatory rural service, remained unenforced for 10 years as it was published in the official gazette only in July 2022.