- Madras HC slams Vijay’s TVK over Karur rally stampede that killed 41
- Court orders seizure of TVK campaign bus and CCTV footage
- SIT led by IGP Asra Garg to probe, state told to cooperate
- Two top TVK leaders charged with culpable homicide, bail denied
- Court says state showed leniency, asks why no case against Vijay
GG News Bureau
Chennai, 4th Oct: The Madras High Court has strongly criticised Tamil superstar Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) over last week’s Karur rally stampede that killed 41 people. Justice Senthilkumar said Vijay and his party leaders “fled the scene” without remorse, abandoning those who lost their lives.
The court ordered the seizure of TVK’s campaign bus in connection with a hit-and-run case, citing video evidence, and directed the police to confiscate CCTV footage from inside and outside Vijay’s bus. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by IGP Asra Garg will now handle the probe, with the state government asked to fully cooperate.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the local police investigation, the court said the state appeared “lenient” towards TVK leaders and questioned why no case had been filed against Vijay.
Two senior TVK leaders – Vijay’s close aide N. “Bussy” Anand and CT Nirmal Kumar – have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Their anticipatory bail pleas were rejected by the Madurai bench, which noted the probe was still in its preliminary stage. The same bench dismissed two petitions seeking a CBI inquiry, ruling them not maintainable.
The court underscored that the state government’s foremost duty is to protect people’s lives. Police reports revealed that the rally saw nearly 27,000 attendees – almost triple the expected turnout of 10,000 – and blamed a seven-hour delay by Vijay for triggering the stampede.
The tragedy has sparked a political blame game, with Vijay accusing Chief Minister MK Stalin of vendetta politics, while the DMK countered that the actor must accept responsibility for the deaths for “breaking the rules.”
