The Madras High Court has come down heavily on South superstar Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party over last week’s stampede in Karur. In strong observations against the actor, Justice Senthilkumar said he and his party leaders who had organised the rally in Karur fled the scene, showing no remorse after the tragedy that left 41 dead.
The judge ordered the seizure of the TVK’s campaign bus in a hit-and-run case, citing videos that showed it was involved in an accident. He also asked the police to seize all CCTV cameras from the rally, especially those from inside and outside Vijay’s bus.
The court has ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Asra Garg, and has asked the state government to cooperate with the SIT.
Read: Vijay’s Party Alleges Lathicharge Led To Karur Stampede, Court Orders SIT
It said the rally organisers “abandoned” those who had come to catch a glimpse of the actor but ended up losing their lives, and that the party ought to have come to their rescue. They showed no remorse, no responsibility, and no regret after the incident, the court observed.
The court expressed its dissatisfaction over the probe by the local police and observed that the state appeared to be “showing leniency” to the TVK leaders.
It also asked why no case was filed against Vijay.
So far, two TVK leaders, including Vijay’s close aide and his second-in-command N ‘Bussy’ Anand, and CT Nirmal Kumar, have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
At a separate hearing, a Madurai bench dismissed both their anticipatory bail pleas, stating that bail cannot be granted as the investigation is in its preliminary stage.
Read: ‘Not Political Arena’: High Court Refuses CBI Probe Into Vijay Rally Stampede
The bench also dismissed two petitions seeking a CBI investigation into the September 27 tragedy. One of them was filed by a politician not related to the stampede victims, while another was not maintainable, the court remarked.
Stressing that people’s safety is a priority, the court had also asserted that it was the state government’s job to protect lives.
At least 41 people had died in the Karur stampede, with the police noting that the rally saw a 27,000 turnout, nearly three times the expected 10,000 participants. The police also blamed a seven-hour delay by Vijay for the tragedy.
A political blame game soon followed, with Vijay accusing Chief Minister MK Stalin of vendetta politics. The actor must take responsibility for the deaths because he broke the rules, the DMK hit back.