Chennai: Was Jayalalithaa treated shabbily by the Karnataka police personnel handling her security at the special court at Parappana Agrahara in Bengaluru? Some eyewitnesses have alleged so.
An informed source said the former Tamil Nadu chief minister had to wait long for a glass of water before the woman cop assigned the duty of guarding her during the court proceedings fetched it, that too after being reminded repeatedly and some kind seniors in the force intervened.
Later, Jayalalithaa wanted to use the toilet and was told by the woman cop that she could use only the public facility available in the court premises and her request to use the toilet in her vehicle would not be permitted.
The ex-CM stood her ground and again, a senior Karnataka police officer intervened and allowed her to use the toilet of her choice, the source said, adding that Jayalalithaa had to suffer the waiting for almost half hour. Also, Jayalalithaa chose to make do with a couple of biscuits for lunch.
“The worst thing happened later, when Jayalalithaa tried to get into her vehicle for the short ride from the court to the prison. A woman inspector held her hand and told her she must travel only by the police vehicle standing nearby. The Black Cats handling Jayalalaithaa’s ‘Z Plus’ category security had an altercation with the policewoman and once again, senior Karnataka officials had to intervene and allow the ex-CM to travel by her vehicle”, the source said.
“It was a very hostile environment on the whole and Jayalalithaa, already shaken by the conviction and the stiff punishment, was further distressed by the treatment meted out by lower-level police personnel there”, another source said.
Meanwhile, an AIADMK lawyer has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission in Delhi alleging that Jayalalithaa was treated harshly during the court proceedings and seeking action against special judge John Michael D’Cunha and prosecutor Bhavani Singh. “She was treated without dignity…and was refused basic amenities such as a wire-chair”, said lawyer R. Krishnamurthy.
