Chennai remains tense as court to decide place for Karunanidhi's burial

Security tightened ahead of the expected arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other national leaders

Almost 12 hours after the demise of M Karunanidhi -- five-time Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President, the situation in Chennai remains tense, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, several other ministers and very important persons expected to visit the city to pay tribute to the late veteran politician. 

There has been violence at some places after the state government denied a place for his burial at the Marina Beach, Chennai, where several leaders, including former Chief Ministers Annadurai, M G Ramachandran, and J Jayalalithaa, were buried. 

The workers raised slogans seeking a place at the Marina for their beloved leader as his final resting place. Some of these workers turned violent. The DMK leadership immediately approached the Madras High Court which adjourned the hearing to 8:30 am on Wednesday.

During the night, Karunanidhi's mortal remains were moved from his Gopalapuram house to the one in CIT Nagar, where his two wives reside. The body was then moved to Rajaji Hall, a public hall in the city, Wednesday early morning to allow the public to pay homage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others are expected to visit the Hall on Wednesday after which the body will be taken for burial.

An eerie calm wrapped the city after Karunanidhi's death was announced on Tuesday night. Even on Wednesday morning, most of the shops remained closed in the city, while roads went empty, except for those who went to pay homage to the late DMK leader. The government has announced a public holiday for educational institutions, offices of the State government and State Public Sector Undertakings and the government-controlled bodies on Wednesday as a mark of respect to the former Chief Minister. It has also announced mouring for a week.

 

Karunanidhi, 94, passed away in a city hospital on Tuesday evening around 6.10 pm, after being hospitalised for several days. He had been ailing from various diseases, including urinary tract infection and others, and had been on a wheelchair for more than two years. 

Karunanidhi, who remained DMK's President for 50 years, entered politics at a young age. His political career took off with the anti-Hindi agitation in the state during 1937-38 and he won his first ticket to the Assembly in 1957, later becoming the chief minister for the first time in 1969. 

 

As a writer, he penned poems, screenplays, novels, biographies, historical novels and screenplays. He was also instrumental in constructing a 133-foot-high statue of Thiruvalluvar, a famous poet, in Kanyakumari. He also helped bring in several manufacturing companies in the automobile and IT sector to the state.