Karur stampede: Madras HC slams Vijay's party for absconding
What's the story
The Madras High Court has slammed the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party of actor-turned-politician Vijay over a stampede in Karur last week. Justice Senthilkumar observed that Vijay and his party leaders fled the scene without showing any remorse for the tragedy that killed 41 people. The court ordered the seizure of TVK's campaign bus involved in a hit-and-run accident, and directed police to collect all CCTV footage from the rally, especially from inside and outside Vijay's bus.
SIT formation
SIT to probe stampede
The court has directed the establishment of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Asra Garg. The state government has been asked to extend full cooperation to this SIT. The court was unhappy with the local police's investigation and noted that the state seemed to be "showing leniency" toward TVK leaders.
Legal proceedings
Anticipatory bail pleas rejected
So far, two TVK leaders have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has rejected their anticipatory bail pleas as the investigation is still in its preliminary stage. The court also dismissed petitions seeking a CBI probe into the September 27 incident.
Accusations exchanged
TVK, police blame each other
During a hearing, both TVK and Tamil Nadu Police blamed each other for the stampede. The TVK alleged that police lathicharged the crowd after slippers were thrown at Vijay, triggering panic. On the other hand, police officials accused TVK of not caring about their supporters and absconding after the incident.
Crowd management
HC questions TVK's crowd management
The court also questioned TVK's failure to manage the crowd and referred to unruly behavior during Vijay's roadshow. A lawyer for the TVK argued that there was no intention to harm anyone and accused authorities of manipulating the case. He said if there were issues with the venue, permission should have been denied for the rally.