Indian regional leader buried, successor named to unite party
CHENNAI, India, (Reuters) - Masses of grieving supporters wailed, beat their chests and cast flowers yesterday as actress-turned-politician Jayaram Jayalalithaa, one of India’s most powerful leaders, was buried on the shorefront in Chennai.
Tens of thousands followed the coffin as it was brought through the streets of the Tamil Nadu state capital for burial at a beachside memorial to the late M.G. Ramachandran, another former cinema star who brought her into politics.
Thousands of police were deployed to keep supporters from causing havoc or harming themselves in grief as in the past when the state’s longtime chief minister fell ill or faced political turmoil. Giant screens gave the crowds views of the last rites.
“She was not only our