CBI Summons Actor-Politician Vijay for Inquiry into Karur Stampede Incident

CBI Investigation into Karur Stampede

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned actor and politician Vijay, founder of the Tamilga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), for questioning regarding the Karur stampede incident. This inquiry is scheduled for January 12 at the agency's headquarters in New Delhi, as confirmed by officials. The tragic event occurred during a rally led by Vijay on September 27, resulting in the deaths of 41 individuals and injuries to over 60 others. The CBI took over the investigation on October 26 and has since interrogated several officials from the Tamilga Vetri Kazhagam regarding the incident.

Vijay's Response to the Tragedy

On October 27, Vijay met with the families of the victims at a resort in Mahabalipuram, exactly one month after the devastating stampede. He and his party have expressed their condolences multiple times and pledged to provide ₹20 lakh to each family affected by the tragedy. Additionally, ₹2 lakh will be given to the injured. The party has already deposited this amount into the families' accounts, announcing on X that '39 families have received ₹20 lakh each, totaling ₹7.8 crore.'

Details of the Incident

According to police reports, at the time of the incident, approximately five ambulances, including one organized by TVK, were stationed near the police quarters in Velusamipuram. On September 28, ADGP (Law and Order) Davidson Devasirvatham informed reporters that following the stampede, the police promptly alerted the local station via microphone and deployed around 10 ambulances from Amaravati Hospital. Earlier, police had stated that the rally attracted 27,000 attendees, nearly three times the expected number of 10,000 participants, attributing the tragedy to a seven-hour delay in Vijay's arrival at the venue.