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SIT begins stampede inquiry, chief inspects TVK rally venue
Senior IPS officer Asra Garg leads an SIT investigation into a stampede at a political rally in Tamil Nadu that killed 41, following a court order.
Senior IPS officer Asra Garg who is leading a special investigation team (SIT) on Sunday began investigation in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district where a stampede killed 41 people at the rally of actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam’s party.
The SIT was constituted on the orders of the Madras high court on October 3 after the high court described the September 27 stampede as a “huge man-made disaster”.
On Sunday, officers of the SIT inspected the venue at Velusamypuram, a road where the party’s political rally had led to a stampede.
“This committee has been constituted as per the High Court’s directive. We have begun the inquiry today,” Garg, who is Tamil Nadu’s north zone IG told reporters in Karur. “Since today is our first day in this case, we cannot share details now.”
Garg leads a SIT team comprising of two superintendents of police (S Vimala and C Shyamala Devi), an additional superintendent of police, two deputy superintendent of police and five inspectors.
“We have inquired with the district police officers and uniformed personnel who were on the ground about what had led to overcrowding and how that led to the stampede,” said an official in the know of the matter.
Until October 4, the investigation was led by Karur additional superintendent of police N Premananth who after the court’s order handed over the case documents to the SIT, the official added.
Karur police have so far arrested two of the four TVK members booked in relation to the case.
This comes after retired justice Aruna Jagadeesan, tasked by the ruling DMK government, had launched a probe, a day after the stampede.
Justice N Senthilkumar who ordered the SIT based on a public interest litigation seeking uniform guidelines for political rallies had come down heavily on TVK and its leader, Vijay, a Kollywood icon with a cult following for abandoning the venue and also criticised the state police for not arresting members of the party.
The court has prohibited political rallies, road shows and similar public events along state and national highways in Tamil Nadu until standard operating procedures (SOPs) were formulated.
The government also assured the court that it will not permit any meetings on the state and national highways, except the earmarked places, until the SOPs are finalised.
The first party to be affected by the court’s restriction is opposition leader and AIADMK general secretary whose rallies scheduled for October 5 and 6 were cancelled by the Tamil Nadu police.
Meanwhile the Vijay-led TVK has suspended its public gatherings for two weeks.
