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Mourners in India's Tamil Nadu shave heads for departed leader to show grief

Xinhua, December 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Mourners in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu shaved their heads in a bid to show their grief for their beloved leader J Jayalalitha, who died on Monday night at 68.

Dozens of mourners including women were seen Wednesday sitting on plastic chairs getting their heads shaved close to grave of charismatic politician near Marina beach in Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu.

Police have erected barricades around the grave.

Tonsuring after the death of an elder member of the family is an age-old Hindu custom.

Reports said ordinary people apparently supporters of Jayalalitha were seen weeping and crying in the vicinity of Jayalalitha's grave to mourn her death.

Tens of thousands of people gathered on Tuesday in the city to participate in Jayalalitha's funeral and catch final glimpse of their beloved leader.

On Wednesday thousands of ordinary residents from across Tamil Nadu continued to throng the seaside grave of Jayalalitha to pay respects to their leader.

Jayalalitha, one of India's most influential and colorful politicians passed away on Monday night at Apollo hospital in Chennai. The 68-year-old ailing politician suffered a heart attack on Sunday night while undergoing treatment for a prolonged lung infection for the past three months.

Reports said Jayalalitha's burial was unusual as members of her caste were always cremated. Her grave is next to the memorial of her mentor, MG Ramachandran.

Jayalalitha, a former movie star, has starred in more than 100 films before joining politics. She was brought into politics by the then actor-turned-chief minister, MG Ramachandran, with whom she starred in many of her films.

Jayalalitha has served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu on numerous occasions since 1991. She was head of the regional AIADMK party and her tenure was surrounded by controversies. She was even jailed in the past on charges of corruption.

Her supporters and party men has given her the name "Amma" which in Tamil language means mother. Endit