The tragic news of Puneeth Rajkumar‘s passing had reached the farthest corners of Bengaluru by noon as fans and the general public swarmed the streets of the city. As shown by television channels, the crowd outside Vikram Hospital (where Puneeth was admitted and later declared dead) and also his residence in Sadashivnagar has been only growing larger. As a result, offices and shops in the IT capital have been shut down for the time being in order to exercise control.

Puneeth Rajkumar’s mortal remains were taken to his residence in Bengaluru around 4 p.m. in the evening of the 29th (October 2021) where fans were found already waiting in massive numbers. With ample police battalions already deployed by the state govt. in anticipation of a furor, the city has reached a point of high alert today.

According to a few reports, Puneeth Rajkumar’s body shall later be taken to the Kantheerava stadium so as to allow fans to catch a final glimpse and pay their respects. Arrangements, in this regard, have been underway already with a large police force in place as part of the security. C.M. Bommai was quoted saying in an online portal that Puneeth’s last rites shall be performed as per the family’s wishes and that he will be accorded full state honors.

Puneeth Rajkumar, fondly known as Appu or Powerstar, succumbed to a cardiac arrest on the morning of 29th October, 2021. He was found collapsed while working out in a gym and was rushed to Vikram Hospital to receive immediate treatment in the ICU. As per the statement of the hospital, Puneeth was brought to their care after being diagnosed by a heart attack with an ECG done by his family doctor, and despite their “prolonged and aggressive measures”, the actor remained non-responsive. He was declared, reportedly, at 2:30 p.m.