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India politician J Jayalalitha dies at 68 | |
(35 minutes later) | |
One of India's most influential and colourful politicians, J Jayalalitha, has died at 68. | |
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu state suffered a heart attack on Sunday night and died at 23:30 local time (18:00 GMT) on Monday, Chennai's Apollo Hospital said. | |
Thousands of her supporters had gathered to pray for her recovery. | |
The former film star served as Tamil Nadu chief minister four times. She had been receiving treatment for months. | |
Ms Jayalalitha is revered by many but seen by her critics as having created a cult of personality over the years. | |
There are fears her death could spark unrest given the extreme devotion she inspires among her supporters, many of whom refer to her as "Amma" (mother). | |
Earlier reports of her death, which were swiftly withdrawn, prompted scuffles between police and her supporters outside the private hospital. | |
Tributes began to pour in for Ms Jayalalitha as soon as her death was confirmed by Apollo, which had been treating her since 22 September. | |
Ms Jayalalitha's party AIADMK - which had earlier lowered the flag to half-mast before hoisting it up once more - also confirmed she had died, tweeting "our beloved leader, the Iron lady of India... Amma, is no more". | |
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to offer his condolences. | |
"I will always cherish the innumerable occasions when I had the opportunity to interact with Jayalalithaa ji (honorific). May her soul rest in peace," he tweeted. | |
Khushboo Sundar, film actress and Congress party spokesperson, told the BBC: "It's very painful for me. Despite our political differences, I had respected her. We were hoping against hope, none of us wanted her to lose this battle. | |
"She was a symbol of strength for women like me. She fought against so many odds to make a name for herself in a male-dominated profession like politics. We have a lost a great politician, and a great champion of women's rights." |