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At Least Four Killed at Funeral for Indian Film Star

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At least four people have been killed in Bangalore, India, during rioting surrounding the funeral of popular film star Raj Kumar.

Police say one officer was beaten to death by enraged crowds, and at least three other people were killed when police opened fire on crowds.

Angry fans torched cars, threw stones and battled police when they were unable to pay last respects to the star, whose body lay in a stadium for public viewing. Police fired tear gas and attacked the throngs with batons.

Kumar died of a heart attack Wednesday. He was 77 years old.

He appeared in more than 200 Kannada-language films over five decades and was known for never smoking cigarettes or playing a drunkard on screen.

Kumar gained international attention in 2000, when he was kidnapped by one of India's most famous criminals, Veerappan. The star walked free after being held for more than 100 days.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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