A day after Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK general secretary, announced solatium of Rs 3 lakh to the next of kin of each of the 193 people, who are believed to have committed suicide following her sentencing, her rivals have questioned the authenticity of the suicide theory.
“Committing or attempting suicide is a criminal case. Has the police filed any FIR in the suicides and attempt to suicideIJ” asked TKS Elangovan, the DMK spokesman, on Monday. He said since it is not known whether the police have filed FIRs against the individual suicides, he is not in a position to comment anything about the claim by the AIADMK.
The AIADMK media cell has been circulating the list of people who committed suicide and those who died of shock following the conviction of their “Puratchi Thalaivi” (revolutionary leader). Jayalalithaa by a Special Court Judge in Bangalore on September 27 in connection with the Disproportionate Wealth Case The State police is yet to come out with any data whether there was any spurt in the number of deaths and suicides registered in Tamil Nadu following the court verdict which sentenced Jayalalithaa to four years of imprisonment and Rs 100 crore fine.
A senior police officer confided that many suicides and self-immolation cases have been reported from various parts of the State. “But I am not sure of the figures and please do not quote my name,” he said.
A former IAS officer pointed out that there were reports about some 400 or more suicides from Andhra Pradesh in 2009 following the death of then Chief Minister Samuel Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash. But till date there is no official confirmation about the suicides and deaths following the untimely death of Reddy, said the former bureaucrat.
Gnani Sankaran, political commentator, said this could be an attempt by the AIADMK cadre to build public opinion to show that Jayalalithaa commands huge mass support and good will among the people in spite of her conviction. But if the crowd which had gathered along the Chennai airport to Poes Garden route on Saturday evening to welcome Jayalalithaa is any indication, there is no doubt about the popularity enjoyed by the former Chief Minister. People came on their own to greet her in spite of a heavy downpour.