Jayalalithaa verdict: Loud cracker burst announces call for celebration outside Poes Garden

CHENNAI: An element of surprise stood out in the myriad reactions outside Poes Garden just after 11 am on Monday. It seemed like no one anticipated the kind of verdict, including chief minister O Paneerselvam, who had a tough time getting into the residence of his party leader.

A loud cracker burst announced the call for celebration outside AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence in Chennai just seconds after the verdict was read out in Karnataka high court. As AIADMK cadre, fewer in strength compared to the day of trial court verdict, became restless and tried to rush towards the gate of their leader’s residence, scores of police personnel swung into action.

“Looking at the crowd that gathered we had about 150 police personnel ready outside Poes Garden,” said a senior police official.

“There were fewer party workers before the news of the judgement came. But soon after 11 am, the crowd swelled and we had a very tough time containing them from rushing towards the leader’s gates.”

Although the road had been barricaded earlier in the day to prevent anyone including media personnel to get any closer to the residence of the former chief minister, the security arrangements looked scant immediately after the news of the verdict reached the cadres. Clearly, the security arrangements had not taken into account the long list of VIPs who were going to stream in. “The CM had a very tough time trying to reach the barricade by wading through the huge crowds that wouldn’t budge or make way for anyone,’’ said the police official.

Chief minister O Paneerselvam, the rest of the state ministers, senior party leaders and MLAs who could not drive up to the barricade, abandoned their vehicles much ahead of their party leader’s residence and waded through the crowds to get to the barricade. They had to sneak in through the small partition created between the barricades as the police tried the restrain the crowd that was trying to push through.