By then the agitation had died down

It took a couple of hours for the police to control the crowd agitated after television channels beamed misleading information about the condition of Jayalalithaa’s health. Between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., the city police were mostly engaged in crowd control.

The number of party cadre who managed to assemble near the main entrance of Apollo Hospitals was minimal. There were not more than 50 party supporters by the time the convoy, including the ambulance that carried Jayalalithaa’s body, left the hospital at 2.30 a.m.

With police presence stepped up, the handful of supporters who were present there realised that the inevitable was bound to happen, but did not give up hope until the hospital issued a note past midnight: “It is with indescribable grief, we announce the sad demise of our esteemed Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, at 11.30 p.m. today.”

No commotion

The party cadre sank to their knees. Women collapsed. They wept. Yet, there was no commotion or confusion. It was impossible for any of the party cadre to get past the multiple rows of police cover at different spots on all roads leading to the hospital.

“I am my family’s guardian and Amma is my guardian,” said ‘Paasarai Jeeva,’ a 35-year-old functionary from Chinnayyampettai village in Tiruvannamalai district.

She still remembers the day – June 10, 2004 when she met Jayalalithaa during a training for members of the women paasarai of the party.

Part of family

“She is my role model and she is everything to us for me and my family,” she added. The policemen who have been on non-stop duty picked up their bags and left Greames Road, but all of them were asked to report for duty at Rajaji Hall and Anna Square later on Tuesday.