The midnight search by Income Tax officials at Veda Nilayam, the residence of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, has evoked strong protests by supporters of the jailed AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala and her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran, while seniors ministers of the state government said it was 'very sad' to see that the house where Amma (Jayaltliahaa) lived was searched.

The search - the second at Poes Garden after the DVAC search in 1996 - started at around 9 pm last night and lasted for nearly four hours. It was confined to the room of Jayalalithaa's assistant, Poongundram, said a department official. No details were available on what was seized during the search.

In a series of tweets, Dhinakaran said whatever reason the IT department may give for the search, it was an assault to Amma's soul. Both Chief Minister Edapaddi K. Palaniswami and O. Pannerselvam are also behind this, and they need to answer 1.5 crore supporters of the AIADMK. Both assured that Veda Nilayam would be turned into a memorial but are doing things against this. What more can they do to keep their posts, he asked in a tweet.

It feels sad that a search is happening at Poes Garden, said Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, while Lok Sabha Speaker S Thambidurai said such IT searches should not bring bad repute to Poes Garden.