A number of events scheduled for Saturday evening and Sunday were cancelled in the city, following Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s conviction in the disproportionate assets case on Saturday afternoon.
With shops downing shutters, bus services turning erratic and policemen doing the rounds, several organisers decided to call off or postpone their programmes.
After many rumours, official confirmation came that the Dawn to Dusk Marathon, organised by Apollo Hospital’s Centre for Liver Disease and Transplantation, along with Love Your Liver Foundation, was postponed. Actor Suriya was to flag off the run at 9.30 p.m. on Saturday.
A number of citizens who had signed up to run at the event were anxious about its fate, and there was news only late evening that it had been called off.
A walkathon organised by Frontier Lifeline Hospital for World Heart Day on Sunday was also cancelled.
A felicitation for Prof. Krishnamoorthy Srinivas, to be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, was cancelled. The All India Progressive Forum postponed its State-level meet that had been scheduled for Sunday. The cancellations posed immense inconveniences, as, for some of the events, participants had already arrived, some from other cities.
Fearing violence, movie theatres across the city decided to stop the evening and night shows as a precautionary measure.
“Crowds began thinning out even as the news spread. We will see how the situation unfolds and take a decision on whether we will hold shows on Sunday,” said a theatre owner. Malls across the city wore a deserted look as the public exited the premises in a bid to get back home fearing violence.
In fact, some of the malls had posted notices declaring closure for the day.
(With additional reporting by Udhav Naig)
