2 dead in stampede as thousands throng Rajaji Hall for final glimpse of Karuna
Chennai, August 8
At least two persons were killed and over 30 injured on Wednesday in a stampede outside the Rajaji Hall here as hundreds of thousands thronged for a final glimpse of DMK leader M. Karunanidhi, witnesses said.
"There has been heavy jostling and pushing and pulling in the crowd since morning," one man at the site said, explaining what led to the stampede.
The tragedy occurred shortly after DMK leader and Karunanidhi's son M.K. Stalin appealed for calm to the milling crowds which were getting restive at not being able to get close to the body.
The funeral procession of late DMK President M Karunanidhi started at 4 pm and he will be laid to rest at Marina near the Anna memorial here, the party said.
A party statement said the procession would begin from Rajaji Hall, where his mortal remains are kept for public homage and proceed through the Sivananda Road and Thanthai Periyar Road to reach Anna Square.
He would be buried adjacent to mausoleum of former Chief Minister and his mentor C N Annadurai on the sands of Marina, it said.
“Party supporters and public are requested to stay calm during the procession and pay their respects to the unparallelled leader,” it said.
The golden casket in which the mortal remains of Karunanidhi would be laid to rest will have the engraving in Tamil, “Oivu edukamal uzhaithavan, idho oivu eduthu kondu irukiran, meaning “one who worked hard without taking rest, is resting in peace here”.
A division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice S S Sundar passed the order on a petition filed by the DMK at a special hearing, marked by heated arguments by counsels representing the petitioner and the government.
It directed the state government to forthwith provide place for a decent burial of Karunanidhi, who passed away last evening, within the precincts of the burial place of DMK founder C N Annadurai in consonance with the rough sketch submitted by the petitioner.
"There is no legal impediment for not allotting the place...," the bench said after hearing senior counsels.
"The writ petition is allowed with the direction to the respondent authorities to provide a place for decent burial to lay the mortal remains of late Kalaignar M Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, on the Marina beach...," it said in the operative portion of the order.
Considering the exigency involved, the operative portion was released and a detailed order would follow, the bench added.
Tamil Nadu's main opposition party had moved the court last night after the AIADMK government rejected its request for allowing the burial of Karunanidhi on the famed Marina sands alongside his mentor and former chief minister C N Annadurai, setting off a huge controversy.
After a special sitting that commenced late last night, the court had adjourned the matter at 1.15 am for hearing at 8 am today.
Soon after the court resumed the hearing this morning, all five petitions challenging former chief minister late Jayalalithaa's burial on the Marina on different grounds were dismissed as withdrawn.
These petitions had been cited by the government for denying permission to bury the DMK stalwart on the beach, which also has memorials to former chief ministers M G Ramachandran and his protege Jayalalithaa.
Defending its decision, the state government said the previous DMK government headed by Karunanidhi had turned down a plea for burying late chief minister M G Ramachandran's wife Janaki on ground she was not a sitting chief minister.
It also said former chief ministers such as C R Rajagopalachari, K Kamaraj and M Bhaktavatsalam had been laid to rest at the Gandhi Memorial campus, where the DMK was offered place for Karunanidhi's burial.
The court rejected the government's contention that only those who died while serving as chief ministers had been provided burial place on the Marina as per protocol manual, saying it cannot be a ground for denying the DMK's request.
Noting that Dravidian leaders such as Annadurai had been buried on the sands of Marina, it said there was no need to take a different stand in the present case.- PTI
