The Tamil Nadu police on Sunday countered the claims by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), saying that no stone pelting incident occurred at actor-politician Vijay’s rally in Karur, where at least 40 people lost their lives in a stampede on Saturday evening.
TVK had claimed that stone pelting triggered the stampede but the cops refuted the claims and said that the party leadership defied orders regarding massive crowd gathering.
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Additional director general of police (ADGP) Davidson Devasirvatham said during a press conference that the event had been delayed by several hours. This, according to him, led to people from Namakkal, where another of Vijay’s rallies was scheduled, also converging on the venue in Karur. He said that it resulted in an overwhelming crowd that was difficult to control.
According to the ADGP, TVK had sought permission for a gathering of 12,000 people, and sufficient police personnel had been deployed accordingly.
“Because the Namakkal campaign was delayed, he (Vijay) reached the Karur venue only by 6 pm. The crowd began to swell rapidly, with people from both Namakkal and Karur gathering to see him... Everybody wants to see their leader and they are pushing towards the vehicle. That's because there are a lot of youngsters who are not even willing to listen to anybody, even to the volunteers, the bouncers, whomever they bring them," the officer told the media.
ADGP Davidson said that the organisers were asked to hold the speech in an area with fewer people, but the request fell on deaf ears. He also denied allegations of an intelligence failure in estimating the potential size of the gathering.
{{/usCountry}}ADGP Davidson said that the organisers were asked to hold the speech in an area with fewer people, but the request fell on deaf ears. He also denied allegations of an intelligence failure in estimating the potential size of the gathering.
{{/usCountry}}“Organisers refused the officers’ suggestion. Additionally, there was no light inside Vijay’s bus, so the crowd could not see him and began moving along with the bus.”
What Vijay’s TVK alleged as they seek independent inquiry into Karur stampede
Vijay’s TVK had moved Madras High court to seek an independent probe into the Karur stampede that resulted in at least 40 deaths. The party wants the incident to be investigated either by the CBI or an SIT.
"The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor C. Joseph Vijay has approached the Madras High Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the tragic stampede at Karur that claimed nearly 40 lives yesterday,"(TVK) advocates' wing president S Arivazhagan said in a statement.
The party alleged that the tragedy was not accidental but part of a “conspiracy.” The party claimed that stone-pelting targeted the crowd and that police had conducted a lathi-charge at the venue. They also alleged that there was a power cut, adding to the panic.