KARUR: A Karur court on Tuesday questioned the TVK organisers over their estimate of a 10,000-strong turnout for Vijay’s campaign in Karur, while remanding two party functionaries in judicial custody till October 14 in connection with the stampede that claimed 41 lives.
Judicial Magistrate Court I remanded VP Mathiyazhagan, TVK’s Karur West district secretary, and Kasi Pounraj, Karur Central city secretary, after the prosecution argued that the incident resulted from failure to adhere to permitted timings, even as the defence insisted that the party had complied with all police conditions.
During the hearing, judge Bharathkumar posed a series of pointed questions: Why the organisers had not sought a larger venue like a ground, whether Vijay was informed about the possibility of a crowd surge, and why the campaign was not halted once the crowd swelled beyond limits.
The TVK counsels maintained that repeated applications for alternate sites were rejected, forcing the party to settle for Veluswamypuram. “Since Saturday was payday, we did not expect a large gathering. We accepted all 11 conditions imposed by the police, but adequate security was not provided,” they told the court.
The prosecution argued that permission for TVK’s preferred Lighthouse area had been denied due to safety concerns, and that the final site was accepted by TVK general secretary Anand after inspection. It further alleged that the chaos was triggered when Vijay arrived late and took an alternate route against police advice.
Mathiyazhagan was arrested late Monday night from a relative’s house in Kujiliamparai, Dindigul, while Pounraj was picked up on Tuesday morning. Both were interrogated at the Karur SP’s office, subjected to medical examination, and produced in court before being lodged in Tiruchy central prison. They argued that further action should be taken only after the one-member inquiry panel completes the probe and submits its report.