Karunanidhi dies at 94: Tamil Nadu govt rejects request for burial at Anna memorial, DMK moves high court

Two judges of the Tamil Nadu High Court are hearing a hearing a late-night petition challenging the AIADMK government’s refusal to allow party leader M Karunanidhi’s burial near the Anna Samadhi on Marina beach in Chennai.

Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice SS Sundar began hearing DMK’s petition at 10.30pm and are expected to give a ruling soon. The Tamil Nadu government offered to give a two-acre land near Gandhi Mandapam in Adayar for the burial of Karunanidhi, who died at 6.10 pm today at Chennai’s Kauvery hospital.

However, it refused a burial at Marina beach citing rules of the Coastal Regulation Zone Act.

As thousands of DMK supporters took to the streets protesting against the state government and chief minister Palaniswami, Karunanidhi’s son MK Stalin appealed to the party cadre to maintain discipline and to “not give room for untoward incidents.”

Urging the DMK workers to “cooperate with the police and prove that DMK follows military discipline”, Stalin said: “Hand over anti socials to police , they may attempt to tarnish DMK.”

Watch: Karunanidhi: Scriptwriter to maverick politician, the many faces of Kalaignar

Stalin, who took charge of the party in the past few years, had written to the Tamil Nadu chief minister appealing the state government Kalaignar’s body near his mentor’s samadhi.

Anna memorial, locally known as Anna Samadhi, was built in memory of former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, CN Annadurai, who was cremated here in 1969.

AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa’s body is buried just 50 metres away from Anna Samadhi.

Fearing violence, the state government has requested for additional security from the Centre. The central home ministry is sending 13 units of Central Reserve Police Force and two additional were being called from the neighbouring state.

All opposition party leaders — Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Ramadoss, Communist Party of India’s state secretary Mutharasan, Vijayakanth of DMDK have urged the state government to allow Karunanidhi’s burial near Anna samadhi.

Karunanidhi — five-time chief minister of Tamil Nadu who dominated the state’s politics for six decades — died at Cauvery hospital at 6.10 pm today. The 94-year-old leader was admitted to the hospital on July 28 after he contracted urinary tract infection and developed a high fever.

First Published: Aug 07, 2018 20:46 IST