Jayalalithaa demise: Mourners flock to Rajaji Hall in Chennai

CHENNAI: AIADMK cadre, the general public and VIPs on Tuesday morning made a beeline to

Rajaji Hall

at Triplicane in Chennai where former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s body was kept for people to pay homage to her.

Jayalalithaa died on Monday night after suffering a cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospitals. From the hospital, her body was taken to her Poes Garden residence and where it was brought to Rajaji Hall around 5.30am.

The body, wrapped in the national flag, was kept in a semi-inclined position in Rajaji Hall, and there was long queue of mourners outside. The queue extended for almost a kilometer on the Anna Salai. AIADMK cadre were inconsolable, and wailing rented the air.

VIPs who paid homage to Jayalalitaha at Rajaji Hall in the morning included Union minister Venkaiah Naidu and state chief electoral officer paid Rajesh Lakhoni. Naidu remained on the premises for more than an hour.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Chennai later in the day to pay homage to Jayalalithaa.

Meanwhile, shops remained closed across the city. City commute was badly hit, with autorickshaw and cabs off the road. However, MTC buses were plying.