Apollo Hospitals, Chennai released a press release on Sunday evening stating that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa suffered a cardiac arrest and is undergoing treatment. Supporters outside the hospital broke down on hearing the news. Security outside the hospital has been strengthened. Central forces have been rushed to Tamil Nadu and have been asked to stay on standby.

Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa suffered a cardiac arrest this evening, says Apollo Hospital. She is being treated, monitored by experts.

Earlier in the evening, AIADMK had said that Jayalalithaa will return home "soon" as an Aiims expert team has confirmed that she has completely recovered after over two months of hospitalisation.

"The Aiims doctors visited the hospital on Saturday and after examining her (Jayalalithaa's) health, they shared the good news with us that Amma (as Jayalalithaa is fondly called) has completely recovered," party spokesperson C Ponnaiyan had told reporters.

The team, comprising G Khilnani, professor, department of pulmonology medicine, Anjan Trikha, professor of anaesthesiology and critical care and Nitish Nayak, professor, department of cardiology, has been visiting the hospital regularly ever since the 68-year-old AIADMK supremo was admitted on 22 September.

Jayalalithaa was hospitalised on 22 September after she complained of fever and dehydration. The hospital, which had been issuing bulletins on her health status, has said she was being treated for infection.

Apollo Hospitals chairman Dr C Prathap Reddy had recently said that Jayalalithaa was in good health and was speaking using a valve attached to the tracheotomy tube.

(First Post)