How Tamil Nadu stayed peaceful after Jaya
CHENNAI: J Jayalalithaa’s legions of devotees had immolated themselves in her defence in the past but when their beloved Amma died on Monday night, they were strangely calm and disciplined in mourning.
Her party, the AIADMK, said late on Wednesday that 77 people died of shock across Tamil Nadu following news that their resilient Amma couldn’t pull through after a cardiac arrest. It promised to pay `300,000 each to the families of the deceased. Official reports put the death toll at nine till evening.
But whatever the number, it could have been a nightmare had Amma’s supporters behaved the way they did when she was arrested in September 2014 after a Bengalurutrialcourtconvictedher of corruption in a disproportionate assetscase.About244peoplediedof shock or committed suicide then, while mobs ran riot.
“Police prepared very well … did barricading for crowd control, which was effective. They factored in every aspect of the situation, drawing from past experience and placed policemen and rapid action force (RAF) units wherever needed,” said R Natraj, an AIADMK legislator and a former director general of police.
Barring frayed tempers and minorscuffles,thestateanditscapital, Chennai, remained peaceful.
Thousands of mourners filed into the landmark Marina beach for a final salute at the grave of the 68-year-old former chief minister and matinee idol.
They wailed and beat their chests, but remained disciplined. The reasons are not far to seek.
The AIADMK leader’s prolonged illness since September, the month she was admitted to Apollo Hospitals,andheroscillatinghealth gave the administration and the people enough time to prepare for the inevitable.
Since news about her health came out of Apollo Hospitals and the party in fits and starts, people were prepared for the eventuality, said psychologist Chitra Arvind of Manas, an NGO.
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