High drama unfolded at the ‘Veda Nilayam’ bungalow of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in Poes Garden on Sunday morning as her niece Deepa, who had gone there at the invitation of her brother Deepak, was denied entry beyond the porch. While Mr. Deepak too was denied entry, he left following a commotion over an assault of a news television channel crew, whom he had invited to the house.
A heavy posse of police was posted at Poes Garden after Ms. Deepa alleged that Mr. Deepak had invited her to the house with an ulterior motive and that private guards posted at the bungalow denied her entry into the house.
According to eyewitnesses, around 10 a.m., Ms. Deepa and Mr. Deepak drove into Veda Nilayam in their respective cars and were about to pay floral tributes to the portrait of Jayalalithaa placed near the porch when some private security guards sought to stop them.
Even as the siblings were engaged in a “heated argument” with them, some men clad in safari suits allegedly beat up a television channel crew who were invited by Mr. Deepak.
Mr. Sanjeevee Sadagopan, a journalist who was beaten up, alleged that the attack took place in the presence of some policemen. Ms. Deepa told policemen who came to the scene that but for the TV crew, the guards would have assaulted her too.
Accusing Mr. Deepak of joining hands with jailed AIADMK (Amma) leader V.K. Sasikala, she charged that the two were responsible for her aunt’s death. At one point, Ms. Deepa demanded the dismissal of the State government.
Amid the commotion, Ms. Deepa’s husband K. Madhavan arrived there. Soon some male acquaintances joined them and all of them began indulging in personal attacks against each other, much to the amusement of journalists and police personnel. At one point, when a police officer intervened, Ms. Deepa ticked him off saying they were having only a personal discussion. The officer then urged them not to turn the venue into a forum for personal discussion.
Ms. Deepa was heard abusing her brother. Stating that inviting her to Poes Garden was a conspiracy, she said, “I am very much sure this was a ‘coup attempt’ by Sasikala, Dhinakaran and all of them...including Deepak, who has played a major role right from the beginning.”
When asked what her future plan of action would be, Ms. Deepa said in a fit of rage, “The Prime Minister should dissolve the government. This is not a government at all. These are not humans.”
She claimed to have sought an appointment with the Prime Minister and further alleged there were threats to her life, her husband’s life and the lives of those depending on her.
“It was him [Mr. Deepak], who called me here by persuading me since 5 a.m. I would not have otherwise... Since they [those present in Veda Nilayam] attacked the media crew, I came out. I don’t know what happened to them,” a distraught Ms. Deepa told reporters outside Veda Nilayam with her husband by her side.
Harassment charge
Looking exhausted, she claimed that she was being harassed by the police for the past four days. “They asked how can I talk against Mr. Dhinakaran. I can talk against anyone. That’s my freedom to speak.”
Her supporters staged a dharna outside Poes Garden for a while.
Later in the day, Ms. Deepa told reporters that she had in her possession a “will” from her grandmother to her aunt. “My aim is to claim the legacy of my aunt. That includes everything, including the party of which she was the supremo and all her valuables that she cherished, including her properties,” she said.
