By IANS
Chennai : C.N.A. Parimalam, the adopted son of DMK founder member and former Tamil Nadu chief minister C.N. Annadurai, committed suicide early Tuesday by jumping into a well, police said.
Parimalam, 67, was a physician by profession and was reportedly depressed, family sources said.
He had retired from government service and his wife had died in 2006. He leaves behind two sons and a daughter.
Parimalam suffered from cardiac problems and was admitted in a private hospital, where he had stayed nearly 10 days before returning home Monday evening.
He could have been concerned about the medical expenses, the family sources said. Parimalam had reportedly told his son Malarvannan that he did not want to be a burden on anyone.
Around 2 a.m. in the morning, when the son went to Parimalam’s room to give him medicine, he did not see the father.
The family mounted a search and found him floating in the well in the premises of the house in the upmarket Nungambakkam area, police said.
The body was sent to the government hospital at Royapettah for post-mortem and later returned to the residence for last rites.
Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi rushed to Parimalam’s house on hearing the news. So did senior DMK leaders.
Parimalam had taken care of Annadurai’s family after his death, Karunanidhi recalled.
AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalitha too condoled Parimalam’s death: “It is a great loss not only to his family but also to all those connected with the family of Annadurai.”
MDMK general secretary Vaiko described Parimalam as a humble person who maintained a low profile.
Although Annadurai steered the DMK to political power and is revered by all Dravidian parties, his family was never brought to the limelight by the DMK. Annadurai died in 1969, two years after the DMK came to power in the state.
Parimalam was collecting Annadurai’s writings, speeches, plays and rare photographs to publish on the occasion of his birth centenary the DMK plans to mark with pomp this year. Parimalam also planned a tele-serial on Annadurai’s life.