Who's Responsible for the 41 Deaths at Vijay's Rally? FIR Points to Vijay's Negligence, TVK Alleges Conspiracy

Karur (The Uttam Hindu): Forty-one people died in a massive stampede at a rally attended by actor-turned-politician Vijay on Sunday evening. Following the tragic incident, police stated in their FIR that the tragedy was the result of a "deliberate display of political power" by the actor and Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay.

According to the police FIR, the rally was scheduled to begin at 9 am, and by 11 am, a large crowd had gathered. Vijay was scheduled to deliver a speech at 12 noon, but arrived at 7 pm, hours behind schedule. Police allege that this delay created "unnecessary expectations" among the people and led to chaos. The FIR also states that the bus carrying Vijay stopped at several unscheduled locations, making it an unplanned road show for which no permission had been obtained. TVK leaders are also accused of ignoring warnings about a lack of food, water, and other amenities for the crowd.

Police said the campaign bus's repeated stops caused severe traffic disruption. Meanwhile, TVK workers broke through police barricades set up to control the crowd. In their rush to catch a glimpse of the actor, many climbed onto the tin roof of a nearby shed, which unfortunately couldn't withstand the crowd's weight and collapsed, resulting in the loss of several lives.

Meanwhile, TVK's general secretary for election campaign management, Adhav Arjun, has dismissed these allegations and approached the Madras High Court seeking a CBI investigation into the incident. In his petition, he alleges that the police and the ruling party conspired to orchestrate the stampede.

Arjun claimed that the party was deliberately denied permission to hold rallies in the places they wanted, and instead allowed in congested areas where crowds were difficult to handle. He also alleged that, as in Namakkal, Trichy, and Nagapattinam, power was repeatedly cut during the rally in Karur, and that not enough police personnel were deployed for security.

The petition states that as soon as Vijay began his speech, the power was cut off, causing people to rush to backup generators and creating a traffic jam. They also claim that some anti-social elements who entered the rally threw slippers and stones not only at their leader but also at the general public, further aggravating the situation. The investigation into the matter is ongoing, and allegations and counter-allegations from both sides have heated up the political atmosphere in the state.