Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jan 12: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay is set to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi in connection with the Karur stampede tragedy, in which 41 people were killed during a massive political rally addressed by him last year.
The stampede occurred on September 27 and is considered one of the deadliest crowd disasters in Tamil Nadu’s recent political history. The rally marked Vijay’s major political mobilisation ahead of the Assembly elections due in a few months.
The probe into the incident has seen several legal developments. Initially, the Madras High Court constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the circumstances that led to the tragedy. However, the Supreme Court later transferred the investigation to the CBI and ordered that it be monitored by a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. The apex court also quashed a one-member commission appointed earlier by the Tamil Nadu government, agreeing that a more independent and credible investigation was required.
Notably, TVK itself had sought an independent probe into the incident. A party source said Vijay would fully cooperate with the investigation and expressed hope that the truth would emerge.
Following the tragedy, the Tamil Nadu Police had blamed Vijay’s alleged delay in reaching the venue for triggering chaos, stating that the prolonged wait resulted in an uncontrollable surge of the crowd. Police had also cited inadequate arrangements for food, drinking water and toilet facilities, claiming the exhausted crowd eventually turned unruly.
Vijay denied the allegations, calling them a “conspiracy” by the ruling DMK, a charge the party rejected. He, in turn, blamed the police for poor crowd management and for failing to clear bottlenecks on approach roads to the venue.
Vijay’s appearance before the CBI comes amid a separate controversy over the delay in certification of his upcoming film Jana Nayagan, which was scheduled for release on January 10 ahead of Pongal but has now been postponed. While a single judge of the Madras High Court had directed the Central Board of Film Certification to grant certification, a division bench later stayed the order and adjourned the matter to January 21. Neither Vijay nor TVK has officially commented on the issue.
Opposition leaders, including those from the Congress, have alleged that central agencies are being misused to pressure TVK ahead of the Assembly polls. Without naming the film, Chief Minister MK Stalin recently remarked that the CBFC had “joined the list of central agencies being used as weapons by the Union government”.
The BJP, which has recently revived its alliance with the AIADMK, has denied the allegations. Vijay has repeatedly projected the upcoming elections as a direct contest between the DMK and TVK, describing the DMK as his “political enemy” and the BJP as his “ideological enemy”.
Political observers have speculated that the BJP may be seeking to maximise TVK’s electoral prospects to split anti-DMK votes. The BJP has dismissed the theory, with a senior leader stating that there was no reason to give Vijay publicity when he was not aligned with the party.
Responding to concerns over possible political pressure through the CBI probe, a senior TVK leader said the party had faith in the investigation and would approach the court if any undue pressure was exerted.