Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa passed away at the age of 68 after suffering a massive cardiac arrest on Sunday, Tamil TV channels reported on Monday evening.
Violence broke out at Apollo hospital as soon as the news started tricking out, even though the hospital has not put out an official statement and denied the reports of the local media.
The government has also not announced the death formally. However, the party flag is flying at half mast at the AIADMK headquarters in Chennai.
It came as a big setback for her supporters who had been waiting for her to recover from her earlier illness and return to office. The death has left a huge vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics.
Born in 1948, Jayalalithaa started her career as an actress in South Indian films. In 1982, she joined the AIADMK, which was founded by her mentor MG Ramachandran. She first became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu in 1991. She has ruled the state for over 15 years.
Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy: Asian Lite News
