How T.N. Seshan’s airport arrival led to standoff with Jayalalithaa and attack on a star hotel in 1994

In November-December 1994, Tamil Nadu found itself at the center of an extraordinary political storm; This storm unfolded in just one week, but left behind enduring questions about power, authority, and intimidation. Almost the entire drama was played out at two locations just a few kilometers apart: Madras Airport and the Taj Coromandel in Nungambakkam.

At the center of the conflict was the then Chief Election Commissioner of India, TN Seshan, who was already both feared and admired for his relentless campaign against electoral fraud. Tamil Nadu was then ruled by the AIADMK led by Chief Minister Jayalalitha (as her name was spelled then). Relations between Seshan and the ruling party were tense, and events quickly showed how inflammatory these tensions had become.

On November 27, 1994, Seshan landed at Madras Airport from New Delhi at 9.20 am. What was supposed to be a routine arrival quickly turned into a stalemate. Senior police officers informed him that hundreds of AIADMK supporters had gathered outside the airport and along the road leading to the Taj Coromandel, where he would be staying, and were waving black flags in protest. Police refused to move him immediately, citing serious law and order concerns.

Trigger

The outrage stemmed from defamatory references to former Chief Ministers CN Annadurai and MG Ramachandran in Seshan’s news biography. Seshan: An Intimate StoryWritten by K. Govindan Kutty. The protests were not just symbolic. Roads were blocked near Kathipara Junction and Tirisoolam, disrupting traffic and delaying the Indian Airlines flight to Bangalore (now Bengaluru), scheduled for 11.45 am, while passengers tried to reach the airport.

He was stranded for eight hours

For nearly eight hours, Seshan was virtually held captive in the airport terminal. As events unfolded, he announced that he viewed the situation as a serious failure of governance and intended to report the matter directly to President Shankar Dayal Sharma and Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. After the crowd was finally brought under control, he was escorted back to his hotel around 5 p.m.

The then Chief Election Commissioner of India, TN Seshan, walks in the waiting hall of the Madras airport, surrounded by security personnel, as AIADMK party cadres wait outside with black flags on November 27, 1994. | Photo Credit: Hindu Archives

Jayalalithaa’s accusations

The political repercussions were sudden and severe. On November 29, Chief Minister Jayalalitha announced that her government would send its own report to the President and the Center and accused the Chief Election Commissioner of threatening senior State officials and demanding action against him. In a sharply worded statement reported by HinduHe accused Seshan of postponing a personal visit to attend a wedding as an official tour and of applying a “different yardstick” for himself than elected leaders.

His criticism became more personal. Describing Seshan as “the epitome of unbridled selfishness”, he accused him of using derogatory language that insulted the culture of Tamil Nadu and damaged the prestige of the State.

He claimed that he rejected the police offer to take an alternative route from the airport and also spoke to Chief Secretary N. Haribhaskar and DGP S. Sripal in a threatening manner. He claimed that his behavior forced the police to resort to lathi charge, including on women protesters. He said that due to his visit, the police had to use lathi charges on the protesters, including women. “Why did the CEC reject the alternative route? It was possible to notice his enormous ego in insisting that the route be cleared of thousands of demonstrators and that only one person travels,” he accused.

Seshan’s meeting with the President and the Prime Minister

Seshan, on the other hand, took the issue directly to the top. After returning to New Delhi, he met Prime Minister Narasimha Rao on 2 December and later the same day had a half-hour private meeting with President Sharma at Rashtrapati Bhavan to present his version of events.

Then President Shankar Dayal Sharma with Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao in New Delhi in 1996 | Photo Credit: Hindu Archives

By then, Jayalalitha had already submitted her report accusing him of “tyrannical behavior” and causing embarrassment to the authorities and hardship to the public.

Even as this war of words continued in Delhi, events in Madras became much more worrying.

Attack on Taj Coromandel

Late on the night of December 1, around 11.30pm, the calm outside the Taj Coromandel was broken. About 150 men arrived at the star hotel in their cars; Some were dressed in black, many were carrying guns. They blocked traffic on Nungambakkam High Road and raided the hotel.

According to reports HinduThe attackers were divided into groups. A group forced their way into the parking lot, attacked security personnel, broke phones and damaged vehicles. Another person destroyed light fixtures in the driveway, threatened staff and broke glass doors to gain access to the lobby. Hotel staff acted quickly to move guests to safer areas and lock wedding attendees in their rooms.

A warning

The attackers fled in about 25 autorickshaws after leaving behind a trail of destruction consisting of damaged property, dozens of destroyed guest vehicles and shaken staff and guests. Shortly after midnight, an anonymous caller called the hotel and delivered a chilling message: The attack was a warning not to host Seshan again.

The next morning the hotel management requested the Prime Minister’s personal intervention and police protection. Taj Group of Hotels (South) vice-chairman Shankar Menon said in a press conference that an official letter has been delivered to the Prime Minister’s office regarding the incident.

The report also stated that Seshan was always booked at the hotel as a State guest by the protocol department of the Tamil Nadu government. His bills were paid by the State government and it was only upon the request of the concerned ministry that Seshan was hosted at the hotel for two days on 27 and 28 November 1994.

Comment by Karunanidhi

On December 4, Revenue Minister and AIADMK deputy general secretary SD Somasundaram publicly condemned the attack, denying any involvement by his party and insisting that the AIADMK believed only in democratic methods. He accused political opponents of exploiting the incident and said responsibility could only be determined after a detailed investigation. Hitting out at DMK leader M. Karunanidhi’s remarks that Tamil Nadu was being run like an “Idi Amin government”, Somasundaram retorted that Karunanidhi could even get credit for teaching Idi Amin.

In the weeks that followed, approximately 15 people were arrested in connection with the attack, some of whom were later released on bail. But the incident, which began with a delayed arrival at the airport and ended with a violent hotel attack, remained one of the most surprising clashes between constitutional authority and political power in Tamil Nadu’s recent history.

It was published – 24 December 2025 06:00 IST