Tamil Nadu plunged into mourning after a day of many uncertainties as news of the death of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was issued by Apollo Hospitals just a few minutes after midnight.
Earlier, in anticipation of the announcement, police officials cleared the road leading to Apollo Hospitals and completely took over the road.
A large number of cadre, who had gathered at the party office since evening, slowly left around 9 p.m., as the meeting of the party MLAs did not begin. The meeting began only around 11.15 p.m., by which time the crowd had thinned considerably.
However, party members lined up along the convoy route from Apollo Hospitals to Poes Garden. En route to Thousand Lights, police had barricaded the stretch, and supporters lined up wailing and beating their chests, soon after the announcement was made. At Poes Garden, followers of the AIADMK supremo were in shock. As preparations were being made for the body to be brought to Poes Garden, the situation slowly grew tense, despite the presence of a heavy posse of policemen.
The handful of supporters of the ruling party who were present at Apollo Hospitals said they were shattered and shocked. Some women collapsed after the press release announcing Jayalalithaa’s demise was issued.
Hopes die
“We were hoping to see our leader discharged from the hospital soon …we were hoping she would return home and resume work at the Secretariat,” one mourner said, wailing inconsolably.
“Amma is my role model. She has sacrificed her personal life for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu,” said ‘Paasarai’ Jeeva, a 35-year-old woman from Tiruvannamalai district, who has been camping at Apollo for the past one week.
She said: “I still remember the day — June 10, 2004. That day I was introduced to her during a training session for members of the party’s mahalir paasarai [women’s forum]. She instilled in me confidence and qualities of discipline and sacrifice. I did not marry. I am the guardian to my family and Amma is my guardian. I hoped against everything that she will be back to serve the people of Tamil Nadu. Without her, there is no meaning in my life.”
At Kannagi Nagar and Aminjikarai slums here, due to the late announcement, a number of people were not aware of her death. But police nevertheless beefed up security in these areas, and other known AIADMK bastions.
“In the evening we heard about her death, but after it was denied, we just kept quiet. Not everyone knows in the area,” Stephen Raj, a resident, said.
Roads in Tiruchi wore a deserted look. Madurai and Tirunelveli, Coimbatore and Salem remained relatively calm. Officials brought the flag to half-mast at the party offices in Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore.
