DMK supporters pulled down police barriers and violently protested outside Kauvery Hospital on Tuesday evening following the state government’s refusal to allow the burial of former five-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi at Marina Beach.
Waving black-and-red flags of the party and holding portraits of Karunanidhi, who passed away at age 94 just hours ago, cadres were seen jumping on the barricades and clashed with the police while protesting against the AIADMK-led government.
The violence occurred even as DMK working president and Karunanidhi’s son MK Stalin requested cadres to maintain peace.
The Tamil Nadu government denied DMK’s request for burial of their supremo at Marina Beach citing rules. DMK will reportedly approach the High Court to press the state government in allowing the burial to take place at Marina.
Reports say that the Madras High Court will hear the plea at 10.30 pm tonight. Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh has agreed to hear the case against denial of space for burial at Marina.
A clearly miffed Vaiko, the chief of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), demanded why the state government was insulting the memory of Karunanidhi.
“This is in-humanitarian. Karunanidhi is a follower of CN Annadurai. Why can’t we bury our leader next to Annadurai? Why is the state government not allowing our leader to be buried?” asked Vaiko, whose party was an ally of the NDA government till 2016.
He said that Stalin had met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami requesting the latter to allow the burial.
“Durai Murugan (Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu) and others also gave a letter to the CM from Stalin. The CM said there are legal complications,” he said.
The rules state that no one other than sitting CMs who die in office are allowed to be buried at Marina.
Marina Beach is the site of MGR memorial where the bodies of both AIADMK founder and former Chief Minister MG Ramachandran as well as that of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa are buried.
It is also the site of Anna Memorial, where DMK founder CN Annadurai was cremated in 1969. DMK wants Karunanidhi to be buried next to Annadurai.
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Reports say that Karunanidhi’s body will be taken to his Gopalapuram residence tonight before it is placed for public tributes in Rajaji Hall on 8 August.
His body might also be taken to Anna Arivalayam, the DMK office located in Anna Salai, Chennai.
Karunanidhi passed away at age 94 in Chennai today.
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His death marks the end of the central period of Dravidan era of politics. For over five decades, Karunanidhi remained a major force in Tamil politics alongside his rivals, AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran and his successor J Jayalalithaa.