Madras HC Slams TVK Chief Vijay, Orders SIT Probe Into Karur Stampede

The Madras High Court on Friday (3 October) strongly criticised actor-turned-politician Vijay and his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the wake of Karur rally stampede that killed 41 people, reported The Indian Express.

Justice N Senthilkumar directed the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by senior IPS officer Asra Garg, condemning the party’s reckless conduct and Vijay’s absence.

“As a human being, I condole the deaths; as a judge, it is agonising to witness so many lives lost,” Justice Senthilkumar said.

“What action have you taken? You allowed this to happen, and now say only two have been arrested. Who is responsible? The leader, Vijay, disappeared – vanished – and there was no one left to help the people," he added.

The court accused TVK leaders of abandoning the site and showing no remorse.

“What kind of party is this? Everybody in the party fled from the place… The party has not expressed even remorse, and it shows the mental state of the leader,” the judge added.

The court highlighted videos showing chaos near Vijay’s convoy, including collisions and obstructions to ambulances.

Justice Senthilkumar asked why no hit-and-run case had been registered.

The Court questioned the state’s leniency, saying, “It appears the State is showing leniency toward the organisers of the event.”

Government Advocate S Santhosh told the court that nine FIRs had been registered against TVK functionaries, including the district secretary, for damage to public property.

However, the Court was unconvinced.

"If police will not fix accountability, then who will fix the accountability?" Justice Senthilkumar asked.

Additional Advocate General J Ravindran argued that TVK altered the rally date unexpectedly.

Ravindran argued that TVK had “misled innocent people” by tweeting a wrong starting time of noon, prompting crowds to gather from morning, long before the scheduled 3 pm slot.

He said 11 conditions had been imposed, and police could not have anticipated the crush that followed when Vijay’s convoy entered the already congested space.

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