The stampede incident that took place in Karur on September 27 shook the entire country including Tamil Nadu. The incident took place in Veluchamipuram, when a huge crowd gathered at a big event of TVK leader and actor Vijay. Due to the gathering of such a large number of people, the situation went out of control and 41 people lost their lives. Apart from this, more than 60 people were injured.
This accident not only caused personal and family grief but also raised many questions at the political and administrative level. Considering the seriousness of this matter, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating in depth. Authorities have issued summons to 306 people for questioning.
The CBI team led by Praveen Kumar is working from a temporary camp in Karur and is intensifying the investigation. This entire operation is being monitored by retired Supreme Court judge Ajay Rastogi and Additional Directors General of Police (ADGP) Sonal Mishra and Sumit Saran. The objective of the investigators is to find out why the accident happened and which people or institutions were negligent in it.
During the investigation, CBI inspected the incident site in detail. They also assessed how many people were at capacity at the venue and whether the organizers followed safety rules. Local shopkeepers and witnesses were also talked to, so that complete and accurate information about the incident could be obtained. Through these inquiries and inspections, efforts are being made to understand why the crowd could not be controlled and what systemic or administrative lapses led to this accident.
Particularly in this case, it is being seen what was the role of the officials who planned and granted permission for the event. Karur city police inspector Manivannan, who had given permission for the event, was also questioned. He was questioned for more than two hours about security arrangements, contact with officials and coordination with the organizers.
CBI has summoned a total of 306 people so far. This includes the families of those killed and injured, members of TVK’s Thamizhaga Rashtriya Pervai (TRP) party who invited people to the program and other responsible officials. Officials said that the statements of all these will help in identifying accountability.
In further investigation, CBI will also visit TVK headquarters in Chennai. There it will be seen how orders and responsibilities were distributed before the program. During this process, it will be made clear at what levels there were lapses in the preparation of the program and who was responsible. This step will give more depth to the investigation and bring out the entire truth behind the incident.