Thousands pay last respects to farmer leader Puttannaiah

Raitha Sangha leaders from across the state, members and dignitaries, on Monday, paid their last respects to farmer leader K S Puttannaiah, who died of a cardiac arrest on Sunday night, while watching a kabaddi match in Mandya.

His mortal remains were kept at Visvesvaraya Stadium at his native Kyathanahalli, in the taluk. The body of Puttannaiah, who was declared dead at Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS), was brought to his native Kyathanahalli on Sunday night. Thousands of people gathered near his house after hearing the news of his sudden demise.

People started arriving at Kyathanahalli to pay their last respects right from the morning. Police had erected barricades to regulate the surging crowd. Farmer leaders were in tears, expressing their grief that the farmers organisation and movement have lost strength with the death of Puttannaiah.

Pacche Nanjundaswamy, son of founder of Raitha Sangha the late Nanjundaswamy, recalled that only last week Puttannaiah had told him that if Pacche and his son Darshan (Puttanaiah's son) join hands in the farmers movement, they can increase the number of green shawls in the Vidhana Soudha as people's representatives.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Ministers H C Mahadevappa, MP R Dhruvanarayan, actor Darshan, Raitha Sangha state president K T Gangadhar, secretary Badagalapura Nagendra and others paid their last respects to Puttannaiah.

The funeral will be held on February 22 (Thursday), according to family sources. The body has been shifted to the mortuary at JSS medical hospital in Mysuru for preservation.