Thaindian News

Tiruchirapalli, May 23 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Monday paid homage to her ministerial colleague N. Mariam Pichai, who died in a road accident. She has ordered a probe into his death.

Jayalalithaa flew down here in a special flight to pay her respects to Pichai alongwith senior leaders of the AIADMK party.

She later told reporters that a crime branch-criminal investigation department probe has been ordered into the accident as Pichai’s family members and others feared sabotage.

She said Pichai was a true party loyalist and his death is a loss. Jayalalithaa also expressed her condolences to the breaved family.

Pichai, 60, Tamil Nadu’s minister for environment and pollution control and minorities welfare, was travelling to Chennai, around 330 km from here, Monday morning to be sworn in as the member of the state assembly later in the day.

According to officials, Pichai was sitting next to his driver in the car which hit a truck ahead of it while trying to overtake it around 7 a.m.

Officials told IANS that seven people were travelling in Pichai’s car and all others suffered minor injuries.

The truck driver ran away. The car driver, Anand, escaped with minor injuries.

Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare N.R. Sivapathi, who was travelling in another car behind Pichai’s car, informed officials about the accident.

Pichai defeated DMK’s K.N. Nehru in the recently concluded assembly elections.

He is survived by his wife and three children.