The tragic incident in Karur during a Vijay political campaign meeting, which resulted in the death of 40 people due to a stampede, does not appear to be a mere accident, but rather a planned conspiracy, alleged the TVK.
Seeking a thorough and independent investigation, TVK has appealed for a CBI or Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe. As the Madras High Court is currently on Dasara vacation, the petition was submitted to the vacation judge, Justice Thandapani, at his residence in Raja Annamalaipuram, Chennai.
Key Allegations:
- Stones were suddenly pelted from an unknown location during the campaign event.
- Police reportedly resorted to lathi charge, leading to panic and chaos.
- TVK alleges that the incident was not accidental but orchestrated intentionally.
Senior advocates Arivazhagan and CDR Nirmalkumar represented TVK and submitted that the court must:
- Order a CBI or SIT probe into the incident.
- Protect CCTV footage from the venue.
- Take suo motu cognizance of the incident and initiate judicial proceedings.
Justice Thandapani observed that since Karur falls under the jurisdiction of the Madurai Bench of the High Court, the petition must be filed there. He added that if submitted, the case would be taken up for hearing on September 29 at 2:15 PM.
Todayโs Proceedings:
- The petition is expected to be officially filed today morning at the Madurai Bench.
- It will be taken up in a special vacation hearing this afternoon.
Meanwhile, in a separate petition, advocate Sankaran, on behalf of a Karur-based individual named Senthilkannan, appeared before Justice Senthilkumar, requesting a ban on all future TVK rallies and public gatherings until a thorough investigation identifies those responsible for the deaths. The judge scheduled the hearing for 4:30 PM, but due to a delay in filing, the case could not be heard yesterday.
Additionally, Uma Anandan, a BJP councillor from Chennai, also filed a petition through advocate Venkataraman, demanding a CBI probe into the Karur incident. However, since it is a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), Justice Senthilkumar declined to hear it, stating it must be heard by a different bench.
