Chennai: At least 16 people are believed to have died since Saturday when All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief Jayalalitha was sentenced to a four-year jail term in the disproportionate assets case by a Special Court in Bengaluru.
Police said while an AIADMK worker S. Venkatesan (65) died in hospital after he set himself ablaze by pouring kerosene, three others hanged themselves while another jumped before a speeding bus.
Ten people are believed to have suffered cardiac arrest, apparently unable to come to terms with the verdict, while one person died of shock, they said.
Those who allegedly committed suicide also included two Class XII students who set themselves ablaze in Tiruppur in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Police were tight-lipped on the number of such incidents across the state and claimed that some could be due to personal problems.