BENGALURU: Hundreds of fans of late Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan staged a protest at Freedom Park on Sunday, demanding that the place where the actor was cremated should be taken over by the government and fans should be allowed to visit the place.
Vishnuvardhan, who passed away in December 2009, was cremated at Abhimaan Studio on the Uttarahalli-Kengeri Road, which was named ‘Dr Vishnuvardhan Road’ after his death.
While a memorial is already developed in Mysuru, the actor’s fans have been demanding that the parcel of land, where he was cremated, must be taken over by the government.
Demanding the same, hundreds of fans gathered at Freedom Park and the protest was supported by around 40 organisations including Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) (TA Narayanagowda faction), Dalit Sangharsha Samiti and Bengaluru Unit of Kannada Sahitya Parishat. Veerakaputra Shrinivas, who is leading the cause, told reporters that fans have been fighting for it for the last 14 years.
“We had given a petition to all governments in these years. Three months ago, we submitted a request to DCM DK Shivakumar and Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Tangadagi. As there was no progress, we decided to stage a protest. We have received support from over 40 organisations and we will decide the next course of action depending on the government’s response. We will organise protests at the taluk level if the demand is not met,” he said, stressing that fans are ready to bear the expenses of the land if the government can’t.