BANGALORE, April 13: Police opened fire in India’s technology hub on Thursday, killing four people as tens of thousands of fans mourning the death of a film icon torched vehicles and attacked company offices.

Police said that an officer was earlier beaten to death as film actor Rajkumar’s cortege made its way through the streets of Bangalore.

One man died of bullet wounds after police opened fire in self-defence when mobs attacked their bus. Three people were killed after the funeral as police fired at a mob enraged at not being able to attend the service.

The body of the 77-year-old actor, who died on Wednesday after a heart attack, was buried with state honours at a film studio owned by his family on the city’s outskirts.

Violent mourners clashed with police, set vehicles on fire and damaged shops along the route of the procession.

Hundreds of fans threw flower petals as the body was lowered into the grave.

Rajkumar’s son Raghvendra implored fans to maintain calm but his words had little effect.

Fans kept away from the grave were seen throwing stones at passing vehicles and police.

Officers had earlier retaliated with tear gas and baton-charges as thousands converged on a stadium in Bangalore, home to major Indian and international technology firms, where the actor’s body had been put on view in a transparent coffin.

The state government of Karnataka announced a public holiday to mark the actor’s passing.

Schools, shops, cinema halls were shut for the day and few buses were running.

Leading IT companies — including Wipro, iGATE and Infosys, India’s second-largest software company, along with multinationals Microsoft, Dell Inc and IBM — said they would stay closed on Thursday.

“Most companies are forced to close. Nobody wants to take a chance,” an official at a multinational firm told Reuters on the condition that the person and company not be named.

“Offices that are open get stoned. This is bad for Bangalore’s international image.”

Offices belonging to AXA, a leading French insurance firm, and Microsoft were pelted with stones, company officials told Reuters.

Police had to cane unruly fans surging to have a glimpse of their icon as they attempted to restore order at the stadium while thousands of fans, including women and children, stood in long queues to pay homage.

At least 10 police officers were injured, and 50 to 70 vehicles were vandalised, police said.

Some were bemused by the violence.

“It is a natural death. Why are the fans getting violent? It is out of fear people are closing shops,” said a street vendor near one of the city’s main bus terminals.

Others were emotional.

“Our hero is dead. Annavaru (elder brother) was our inspiration,” said Hanumanthaiah, a fan paying his last respects at the stadium.

Drivers pasted pictures of the actor to their windows in the hope of avoiding the mob’s attention.

Cable television companies blocked entertainment channels to mark a day of mourning.

Karnataka’s chief minister, H. D. Kumaraswamy, appealed for calm. “By resorting to violence, you will only be showing disrespect to the great actor,” he said.

Rajkumar starred in more than 200 Kannada-language films over five decades.—Reuters