Desk Report:
41 people died in a stampede at a rally of actor and politician Thalapathy Vijay in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district. 48 hours after the incident, the police have arrested Mathiyazhagan, the Karur West district secretary of TVK (Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam). He was arrested, blaming the lack of necessary security and lapses for the tragic incident.
According to an NDTV report, the police have registered a case against some TVK leaders for attempt to murder, culpable homicide and endangering public safety. A case has also been registered against TVK general secretary Basi Anand and joint general secretary Nirmal Shekhar.
Vijay has also been named in the FIR filed on the complaint of a police officer. The complaint states that Vijay deliberately arrived late for the rally to show his political power. This resulted in unrest and uncontrolled crowding among the large crowd.
The FIR also states that Vijay held a road show without permission, violating the conditions set by the authorities. The police have also accused other senior leaders of TVK of ignoring repeated warnings.
The stampede took place on Saturday. That afternoon, at least 30,000 supporters were present at Vijay’s rally in Karur district. Vijay was supposed to reach there by noon, but he arrived almost six hours late. By then, the rally was sweltering and crowded. Many people started fainting.
According to eyewitnesses, the moment Vijay started speaking on the platform, the commotion increased. Realizing the situation, he stopped his speech and threw water at the crowd from his specially-built campaign bus. But by then, a section of supporters pushed the crowd and fell near the bus, which started a deadly stampede.
According to hospital records, at least 10 children and 18 women were among the 41 dead.
The FIR also mentioned traffic jams and public suffering. It alleged that TVK had organised a reception for Vijay in violation of government conditions.
Meanwhile, the arrests and police action come at a time when TVK leader Adhav Arjun has moved the Madras High Court for a CBI probe into the stampede. He has demanded that the state government not prevent Vijay from meeting the families of the deceased. The TVK has also accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of conspiracy.
On the other hand, questions are also being raised against the police for inadequate police, lack of crowd control measures and wrong estimates of the exact size of the crowd.
After the tragic incident, Vijay issued a condolence message saying that he was deeply shocked by the incident. He also announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh for the injured. He said, “I know that the loss you have suffered cannot be compensated. It is an irreparable loss. However, it is my duty to stand by you and share your grief in this difficult time.”
