Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
Even as the Supreme Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Karur stampede, a controversy has erupted with two people, whose relatives died in the stampede, alleging that they did not file the petition.
The Supreme Court is hearing a batch of petitions related to the September 27 stampede during actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Karur, which left 41 people dead and several injured.
Among them was one filed by TVK general secretary (election strategy) Aadhav Arjuna, who sought to quash the Madras High Court’s order that set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.
Two other petitions, demanding a CBI inquiry, were filed by P Panneerselvam from Alamarathupatti, who lost his nine-year-old son, Prathik, and P Selvaraj from Emur Puthur, who lost his wife S Chandra.
However, Chandru, the maternal uncle of deceased Prathik, denied their family involvement in this case and said that Panneerselvam abandoned them when Prathik was one-year-old. “We don’t have any political leanings, neither with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) nor with the TVK,” Chandru told TNM.
“My sister Sharmila spoke to Vijay in a video call and he paid his condolences. We did not file any petition in the Supreme Court. We came to know about Panneerselvam’s petition only after police asked about it a few days ago. We have not spoken to Panneerselvam for the past eight years, and he did not attend the funeral as well. We are still in deep grief after losing our child and have no interest in pursuing justice or legal matters”, he added.
Selvaraj, another reported petitioner, also denied his role in the case. “I did not file any petition in the Supreme Court. I don’t know the advocate at all. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Emur Panchayat Council leader Balakrishnan asked me to sign some papers. I signed them, but I told him not to misuse them. He said the signatures were for getting compensation and a government job for my elder son. I don’t know anything about this case. I am just a daily wage worker,” Selvaraj told the media.
Advocate and AIADMK functionary VCK Balakrishnan admitted he was involved in helping file the petition but denied any wrongdoing. “When I was the panchayat president, Selvaraj’s brother Murugesan was a ward member. He approached me seeking help to find out the real reason behind Chandra’s death. That’s why the petition was filed in Selvaraj’s name,” he told the media.
“Now, due to pressure, Selvaraj is saying on social media that I deceived him with false promises of a job. But when I took his signature, his brother Murugesan was also present,” he further added.