Chennai: The Karur stampede, which claimed 41 lives during a TVK rally, is back in focus today as the Madras High Court hears pivotal petitions. One plea filed by P.H. Dinesh holds actor and TVK chief Vijay directly responsible for the deaths, while another from TVK seeks a CBI probe into the disaster.
Public pressure on Vijay is also escalating. A collective of over 300 cultural and social voices—including writers, poets, journalists, activists, and thinkers—has demanded legal action against him. In their joint statement, they urged the government to act decisively, warning against ignoring the lapses that led to the mass tragedy.
The activists flagged repeated safety lapses at Vijay’s political programs and condemned the poor arrangements in Karur, where people were forced to wait more than seven hours without food, water, or toilets. The statement also alleged that the crowd was pressured to follow Vijay’s convoy, creating dangerous conditions that spiraled into chaos.
Meanwhile, police have already arrested two TVK leaders—District Secretary Mathiyazhagan, a key rally organizer, and Paun Raj, who signed the event’s permission papers—bringing further scrutiny to the party’s role in the tragedy.
