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The Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has told the Madras High Court that the Karur stampede which killed 40 people, including nine children, was “engineered by the police and a local politician” who has “illicit connections with local goondas”.
In a petition filed on Sunday, September 28, TVK General Secretary Aadhav Arjuna claimed that the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) used police and local goondas to deliberately create chaos, cut electricity, and even stage midnight postmortem examinations to “suppress the truth.” He also accused the ruling DMK of orchestrating the tragedy.
“Even before the starting of the speech, the electricity line was disconnected,” the affidavit said. It also alleged that “anti-social elements” who infiltrated the rally threw slippers and stones not only on their leader Vijay, but also on the public waiting to listen to the speech.
The September 27 tragedy unfolded at Velusamypuram in Karur, where thousands had gathered for Vijay’s rally, an event marred by delays and inadequate crowd control. Multiple stampedes broke out after flimsy structures into which people climbed on to have a glimpse of Vijay collapsed.
The petition also alleged that ambulances without patients were driven into the crowd and that police carried out “barbarous lathi charges,” worsening the panic.
Even before the crowd could pave way to the ambulances, the police swung into action and started lathi charging the public, the affidavit stated.
He also alleged that the readiness of hospitals and the timing of postmortem examinations suggest prior planning.
Postmortem examinations were done at midnight for all the dead people and everything including funeral arrangements were done before the Chief Minister’s arrival, the affidavit said. “I am hard put to appreciate how all the doctors were made available in the hospital,” it stated.
However, this claim has been countered by the Tamil Nadu government’s fact-checking unit. It pointed to a Union Health Ministry memo issued on November 15, 2021, which specifically permits night-time postmortems in hospitals that have adequate infrastructure.
The order states that post-mortem examinations after sunset can be conducted at hospitals which have the necessary infrastructure for conducting them on a regular basis, including in law-and-order situations. The memorandum also mandates video recording of such post-mortem examinations to rule out suspicion. The fact-check unit clarified that the claim that “post-mortems cannot be conducted at night” is false and misleading.
The TVK also dismissed the inquiry ordered by the state government under retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan as “a mere eyewash” saying it cannot be trusted to bring true facts to light. Only a Central Bureau of Investigation could uncover the truth, it said. Allowing the same people who allocated the site for the event to determine the cause of the stampede would not be right, the petition said, highlighting conflict of interest.
The Karur rally was part of Vijay’s statewide tour that has already drawn criticism for traffic snarls, property damage, and crowd mismanagement. On September 27, he was scheduled to speak in Karur at 12.45 pm but arrived only at 7 pm, by which time thousands had been waiting in heat without water or shelter. By evening, dozens had collapsed, and ambulances were rushing victims even before he reached the venue.
However, Adhav Arjuna alleged that the state government’s hand was behind the tragedy. “The Acting Government has miserably failed in its duty and has stooped down to the level of creating events that can cost the lives of innocent public in order to seek vengeance against the political party of the petitioner,” the affidavit stated.