Amma rests in "peace", thanks to TN Police's 24x7 security
What's the story
The anticipated "extreme reactions" that were expected to follow the announcement of Jayalalithaa's death did not happen. The non-violence that followed was largely due to Tamil Nadu Police's "unimaginable" service that drew praise. Since Jayalalithaa's health worsened, the police had been on vigil 24x7. They efficiently managed the sea of people that gathered, ensuring the funeral went off with no untoward incidents.
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Fear of violence followed Amma's death
The day after Amma's demise, fear of violence was palpable across Tamil Nadu. Many expected a situation similar to the period that followed former TN CM MG Ramachandran's death in December 1987, when supporters went out-of-control and riots continued for weeks.
Handling the crowd
Police ordered to report for duty by 7am on Monday
After Jayalalithaa's health had worsened, the police had been ordered to report for duty by 7 am on 5 December. A large crowd gathered outside Apollo Hospitals after knowing the news and tried to break into the hospital, but the police handled the crowd. After Amma's death, the police resorted to lathi-charge only once when a crowd tried to break into her Poes-Garden residence.
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AIADMK legislator and former Director General of Police's statement
R Natraj stated: "Police prepared very well; did barricading for crowd control, which was effective. They factored in every aspect of the situation, drawing from past experience and placed policemen and rapid action force (RAF) units wherever needed."
Police personnel
Tamil Nadu remained peaceful amid fear of violence
Except for minor scuffles, Tamil Nadu remained peaceful; thousands of mourners reached Marina beach but stayed disciplined. Jayalalithaa's prolonged illness gave the administration time to prepare for the inevitable. Preemptive action and pickets checked outbreaks of violence; across TN, over 100,000 police were deployed, their leaves were canceled. In Chennai, 10,000 rookie constables and 1,000 trainee sub-inspectors were deployed, in addition to the regular-staff.
Chennai
10,000 police personnel deployed in Chennai alone
Security arrangements were elaborate in Chennai; 10,000 police were deployed. At least 2,000 were present between Rajaji Hall (where Amma's body was kept before burial) and the MGR Memorial on the Marina beach, where she was buried. Plainclothes police cruised Chennai's streets on bikes; stray incidents were quickly brought under control. Chennai Police Commissioner S George said, "We provided sufficient protection across the city."
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Situation in Coimbatore, Trichy and Madurai
The day Amma was laid to rest was marked by silent processions in Coimbatore by loyal party cadres who paid tributes to Jayalalithaa's portraits on streets under police personnel's gaze. In Madurai and Trichy too, the situation was under police control as elsewhere in TN.
Police Security
Police vans fitted with CCTV cameras used for monitoring
Police vehicles with CCTV cameras installed were parked at Rajaji Hall to monitor the stream of visitors pouring in. A senior police official said, "We have been using vehicles fitted with CCTV camera to maintain law-and-order at many protest venues in the city. We used the same strategy at Rajaji Hall." Even after the funeral, police officers remained at MGR Memorial to ensure nobody lingered.
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Security to the VVIPs
The Tamil Nadu police force was praised by the commissioner for providing excellent security to all the VVIPs, including President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, 15 chief ministers, and Rahul Gandhi.