Jayalalithaa’s death natural,no suspicion: Dhivaharan

Says reports of former CM meeting officials is only hearsay

There is no suspicion in the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, V. Dhivaharan, brother of Sasikala, said on Thursday after deposing before the one-commission conducting an inquiry into her death.

“There is no suspicion in her death. It is a natural death,” Mr. Dhivaharan told reporters. Justice (Retd.) Arumugasamy posed a number of questions regarding Mr. Dhivaharan’s political life, his family, their role in Jayalalithaa’s life, about her hospitalisation and the treatment given to her. “I gave the judge whatever details I had,” he said.

Mr. Dhivaharan said he did not see Jayalalithaa at the Apollo Hospitals, except in her final moments. “The first time when I came to see her, I came late at night. The doctors said she had gone to sleep. So, I left. Then I came on the night of December 4 when she was put on ECMO; the doctors were trying to revive her,” he said.

Mr. Dhivaharan said on the evening of December 4, he got information that Jayalalithaa suffered a massive heart attack. “Some channels also flashed the news that she had passed away before retracting it. Only after that, I took a flight and reached Chennai around 10 p.m., I reached Apollo around 11 p.m. At that time, she was put on ECMO. That’s the only thing I know,” he said.

He also said that news of Jayalalithaa meeting government officials was only hearsay. “No one saw her. I didn’t see her. There was some talk that some top government officials met her once, but all that’s hearsay only,” he said, adding that he had heard she met some officials regarding the Cauvery issue once.

Security issues

Asked whether Apollo Hospitals withheld information about the late Chief Minister’s death due to security issues, he said that could have been one of the issues since she was a VIP.

On the appointment of O. Panneerselvam as Chief Minister following the declaration of Jayalalithaa’s death, he said a meeting was held wherein everyone chose him as the next Chief Minister.

“Yes, some competitors were there but I would not like to discuss that,” he said.