The Karnataka government has decided to airlift the mortal remains of actor and politician Ambareesh to Mandya, his home district, after fan groups there asked the Chief Minister a chance to pay their last respects. Ambareesh passed away late on Saturday night at Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru following a cardiac arrest. The state government had initially planned to keep the body in Bengaluru till the last rites ceremony on Monday.
Ambareesh's mortal remains were kept at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. Friends, family and well-wishers thronged the stadium to catch a glimpse of the actor and pay their respects to him. However, following pressure from fan groups in Mandya, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy contacted Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asking the ministry to provide a helicopter to transport the mortal remains to Ambareesh's home district and back to Bengaluru.
Kumaraswamy took the decision in consultation with members of Ambareesh's family. "Fans of Ambareesh requested that they should get a chance to pay their last respects in Mandya. We contacted the Defense Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman), asking her to provide an IAF helicopter and ease the logistics of transporting the body to Mandya and back,” Kumaraswamy told reporters on Sunday.
Ambareesh is one of Mandya's most popular figures and is referred to as 'Mandyada Gandu'. Thousands of fans, including those from Mandya, arrived in Bengaluru on Sunday to see their leader for the last time.
CM Kumaraswamy confirmed that Ambareesh's body will be kept at the Vishweshwaraiah Stadium in Mandya from 4 pm on Sunday to 6 am on Monday.
The body will then be brought back to Bengaluru on Monday morning before the cremation at the Kanteerava Studio at 10 am.
Several actors, including Sarath Kumar, Prakash Raj and Rajinikanth, paid their respects to Ambareesh at the Kanteerava Stadium.