Karunanidhi, followed by lakhs in life and death, to be buried at Marina

DMK chief M Karunanidhi’s funeral procession started at 4pm from Chennai’s Rajaji Hall where two people were killed in a stampede as thousands jostled for a glimpse of the departed leader on Wednesday.

The 94-year-old DMK leader will be buried adjacent to the mausoleum of former chief minister and his mentor CN Annadurai on the sands of Marina, a party statement said.

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The procession would proceed through Sivananda Road and Thanthai Periyar Road to reach Anna Square, it added.

All the arterial roads to Marina Beach and Rajaji Hall have been blocked for traffic as Chennai continued to be deserted.

The police had a tough time handling the crowd at Rajaji Hall where lakhs of DMK supporters turned up to pay tributes to the departed leader.

They had to use batons on DMK supporters after a portion of the force was shifted to Marina Beach, where the DMK chief will be buried later in the day.

Wednesday started with Madras High Court allowing DMK chief’s burial at Marina Beach, the resting place of many political stalwarts. The order came on a petition filed by DMK following Tamil Nadu government’s refusal to allot space for him to be buried at the beach.

During the day several leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid their respects to the DMK chief.

First Published: Aug 08, 2018 16:37 IST