Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has died, sparking an outpouring of grief in the southern Indian state.
The 68-year-old Jayalalithaa, one of India's most powerful politicians, was admitted to a Chennai hospital on Sept 22 with a fever, dehydration and a respiratory infection.
On Sunday evening she suffered a cardiac arrest and her condition deteriorated.
Doctors of Apollo Hospital, along with specialists from New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences, failed to revive her after she was put on life support.
"Every possible clinical attempt was made to sustain her revival. However, despite our best efforts, the chief minister's underlying conditions rendered her unable to recover and she passed away at 11.30pm on Monday (2am today in Malaysia)," according to a hospital statement.
The announcement came within hours of the hospital strongly refuting reports by local television channels that Jayalalithaa had died.
The state's ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party picked Jayalalithaa loyalist O Panneerselvam to succeed her as the chief minister.
As Tamil Nadu mourns the death of its iconic leader, there is high security in the state capital Chennai to control crowds and maintain order.
Indian television channels showed grief-stricken supporters gathering in many locations in Chennai to mourn Jayalalithaa's passing.
She is hailed as "Puratchi Thalaivi" (revolutionary leader) and known as Amma (mother) among her mass followers.
Jayalalithaa dominated Tamil Nadu's politics for three decades and served as the state's chief minister six times.
She was born into a Brahmin family in Mysore in Karnataka, a state bordering Tamil Nadu, and was a hugely popular movie star before formally entering politics in 1982.
Source- Bernama
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