CM Turns Emotional; Kisses Puneeth’s Forehead One Last Time

The last rites of Kannada Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar were performed at Sree Kanteerava Studios in Bengaluru on Sunday morning. On Friday, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai announced that Puneeth will be laid to rest with full state honours.

Apart from the millions of heartbroken fans, Puneeth’s sudden demise has come across as a rude jolt even to CM Bommai, who is very close to the Rajkumar family. Bommai had immediately rushed to Vikram Hospitals soon after being informed about Puneeth’s hospitalisation, and stood as a pillar of strength to Puneeth’s grieving elder brother Shiva Rajkumar and other family members until the actor’s last rites this morning.

A few pictures of CM Bommai turning emotional on seeing Puneeth wrapped in a tricolour before his burial are going viral on social media. Bommai first did a namaskar to Puneeth with his folded hands and then planted an emotional and affectionate kiss on the actor’s forehead.

On Friday, interacting with the media, Basavaraj Bommai said that Puneeth’s passing is a major personal loss as he has been sharing a warm bond with the Rajkumars since a long time and he has been seeing Puneeth since his childhood. “Seeing Puneeth in this state is unbearable,” Bommai told the media.