Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay deliberately delayed his arrival at a public rally in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district by making unscheduled stops to display his political appeal and his party leaders did not listen to repeated warnings from police officers to rein in their cadre, says the first information report (FIR) filed in a case on the stampede on September 27 night that killed 41 people.
HT has seen the four-page FIR that was filed by inspector of police G Manivannan that blames Vijay’s TVK for one of the worst tragedies seen in a political rally in the state. The actor himself is not named in the FIR.
While the state’s ruling DMK government has steered clear of politicising the issue, TVK has sought to blame a “political conspiracy” for the tragedy and asked for an independent probe.
The FIR filed late on the night of September 27 at the Karur town police says that the police imposed 11 conditions for Vijay’s rally to be held in Velusamypuram in Karur between 3pm and 10pm and 500 police personnel were on the ground. The police have charged TVK’s Karur (north) district secretary Madhiazhagan, general secretary A “Bussy” Anand and state joint secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar under sections 105 (culpable homicide), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), and 125 (endangering life of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
“Vijay’s arrival was deliberately delayed by four hours so more people could come to the rally,” the FIR reads. “Deputy Superintendent of Police and I repeatedly warned Nirmal Kumar and other TVK leaders of the cadre’s behaviour but they didn’t listen to us.”
Madhiazhagan was arrested later in the evening, police said.
People and cadres began coming in large numbers into the venue–a road in a residential locality– from as early as 9 am after television news channels reported that Vijay would speak at the public rally at noon, according to the FIR. Permission was granted for TVK’s estimate of 10,000 attendees, but there was a mismatch, police said, reporting that 25,000 people were present by 4.45pm.
By then, Vijay had completed his rally in nearby Namakkal district reached Velayudhampalayam on the outskirts of Karur but “deliberately delayed” his arrival at Velusamypuram by holding roadshows without permission at various locations, disrupting traffic and causing inconvenience to people, the FIR read.
Vijay arrived at 7 pm several hours behind schedule at Velusamypuram. By this time a huge crowd was waiting near the spot where his specially designed campaign bus was to be parked.
Around this time, the FIR adds, the inspector and DSP of Karur warned Madhiazhagan, Anand, and Kumar that the delay was creating an “unusual” situation.
“They did not listen to us,” the FIR said. “They made no effort to control the behaviour of the cadres, who were sitting on trees and buildings. The situation became unusual when a branch broke. People were exhausted after waiting for hours in the sun and without drinking water.”
At the time of filing the FIR only 11 deaths were reported but the final death toll stood at 41 on Monday including 17 women and 9 children while more than 50 people were undergoing treatment at the government medical hospital in Karur.
However, Vijay has not been named in the FIR and the ruling DMK government has refrained from politicising the incident. Chief minister M K Stalin on Monday in a recorded video message said that such incidents should not be repeated in Tamil Nadu and seemed to suggest Vijay was not to blame.
“No political party leader would ever wish for their followers or innocent civilians to die.”
Hours after the stampede, Stalin set up an inquiry commission under retired justice Aruna Jagadeesan to probe the incident and submit a report at the “earliest” and left for Karur around midnight. Stalin and leaders cutting across all political lines met grieving families in hospitals and their homes. “When political parties and public organisations conduct such events, it is the duty of all of us to establish rules on how to act responsibly in the future,” Stalin said, adding that after he receives Jagadeesan’s report, he would consult with all political parties and public organizations to formulate rules and regulations.
“I appeal to everyone to set aside political positions, conflicts and personal enmities, and to think only of the welfare of the people,” Stalin added. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman who met families in Karur on Monday, too suggested a standard operating procedure (SOP) for managing large public gatherings to deter such incidents.
However, TVK itself seemed keen to distance itself from the tragedy and blame others.
It has moved the Madurai bench of the Madras high court alleging a political conspiracy behind the incident and sought a court-monitored probe, or, an investigation by any “independent agency.”
