The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay to New Delhi in connection with the Karur stampede in which 41 people, including 9 children, were killed.
Summons has been issued to Vijay to appear before the Investigating Office (IO) on January 12.
Vijay’s questioning with the CBI was earlier scheduled to take place in Chennai, party sources told TNM. With Tamil Nadu set to go to polls this year, the interview’s sudden shift to Delhi has left the TVK worried about possible political interference by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Last week, the CBI conducted the second round of questioning with TVK General Secretary B Anand, General Secretary of Election Management Aadhav Arjuna, Joint General Secretary Nirmal Kumar and Karur district secretary Mathialagan at the CGO complex in New Delhi for three days.
During questioning, TVK leaders submitted video footage and other evidence to support their claim that the tragedy occurred due to lapses by the state government.
The CBI had also summoned the district collector of Karur, Superintendent of Police Jose Thangaya and several revenue officials.
Case background
The stampede occurred in Velusamypuram in Karur town on September 27 last year. Thousands of TVK cadre and Vijay’s fans had been waiting for over six hours past Vijay’s scheduled arrival time. The actor-politician was on a campaign tour across the state and set to arrive from Nammakal at 12:45 pm.
When he finally arrived around 7 pm, surging crowds and the addition of fans who had followed Vijay’s campaign bus in their vehicles led to chaos. Panic spread as people began collapsing. Ambulances rushed to the scene and police struggled to regain control.
The death toll quickly rose to 41.
As public anger intensified, Vijay released a video statement three days later on September 30. In his statement, the actor-politician emphasised the claims made by his supporters — the stampede was the result of a state government conspiracy.
On October 3 the Madras High Court ordered the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The court also criticised the TVK for “poor leadership” and showing “no remorse”. In their petition, TVK claimed that police and local goondas had deliberately created chaos, cut electricity, and even staged midnight postmortem examinations to “suppress the truth”.
The probe was transferred to the CBI on October 13, following a Supreme Court ruling. The apex court also suspended the state government’s one-person commission of enquiry headed by Aruna Jagadeesan. The commission had been formed immediately after the stampede.
Also on October 13, two relatives of the deceased alleged that petitions demanding a CBI probe into the stampede had been filed in the Supreme Court without their knowledge.
Watch: In Public Interest: Who is responsible for Karur Stampede?