Jayalalithaa laid to rest with full state honours

CHENNAI: Amid heart-rending scenes, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was today laid to rest near the grave of her political mentor M G Ramachandran at the Marina beach here with full state honours. Soon after the rituals got over around 6 PM, the sandalwood casket carrying Jayalalithaa's mortal remains was lowered down after the traditional gun salute amidst emotional chants of 'Amma Vazhga' (Long Live Amma) by the thousands of people who had converged there. Jayalalithaa's long-time confidante Sasikala Natarajan and the AIADMK supremo's nephew Deepak performed the last rites at the M G Ramachandran Memorial Site. This included showering of flower petals and sandalwood pieces after which the casket was lowered, symbolising the culmination of the customary rituals of the last rites. Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Pon Radhakrishan, besides Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and former Ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mukul Wasnik also paid floral tributes on the occasion. Earlier, the casket, which was placed at Rajaji Hall, was shifted to a flower-decked gun carriage doubling up as the funeral cortege to be taken to the burial site. Sasikala, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Akhilesh Yadav joined the funeral procession.