Vijay's court plea alleges stampede 'plot'

Actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Sunday alleged that the tragedy, which left 40 people dead and nearly 100 injured, was not accidental but the result of a “conspiracy,” pointing to stone-pelting in the crowd and a police lathi-charge at the venue.

TVK's lawyer, Arivazhagan, has said that the party has approached the  Madurai bench of the Madras High Court with a petition that urges the court to set up a Special Investigation Team or to transfer the case to the central agency CBI. Arivazhagan trashed the state government's contentions that safety guidelines were violated at the Karur rally.

Eyewitnesses had described how a power cut, narrow approach roads, and a sudden crowd surge just before Vijay’s arrival triggered panic. Families were separated in the chaos, with women and children gasping for breath. Post-mortem reports confirmed suffocation as the cause of death. At the venue on Sunday morning, shoes, slippers, torn clothes, broken poles, and crushed bottles marked the scale of the stampede.

Vijay, in a message to his supporters, said his “heart is broken” and announced Rs 20 lakh compensation for families of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh for the injured. “This is an irreparable loss. As a member of your family, I stand by you in this grief,” he said, praying for the recovery of those undergoing treatment.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin rushed to Karur, met victims in the hospital, and assured families of full government support. He described the deaths as “unbearable” and said all possible medical care was being extended.

Police have since filed cases against TVK district secretary Mathiazhagan, party general secretary Bussy Anand, and joint general secretary C T Nirmal Kumar under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, rash acts endangering life, and disobedience of lawful orders, besides charges under the Tamil Nadu Public Property Damage Act.