KARUR: A day after 39 people were killed in a stampede during a TVK rally led by party leader and actor Vijay, the Karur police have registered a case against key Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) functionaries, including State General Secretary Bussy Anand, State Deputy General Secretary GR Nirmal Kumar, and Karur West District Secretary Mathiyalagan.
According to police sources, the case was filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for various offenses including Culpable homicide not amounting to murder (105), Attempt to commit culpable homicide (110), Acts endangering human life (125b) and Disobedience to an order promulgated by a public servant (223) of BNS read with Section 3 of TNPPDL Act.
The tragic incident occurred at Velusamypuram within the Karur Town Police Station limits, where actor Vijay held a roadshow. Police allege that the event was conducted without proper permissions and caused significant disruption to traffic and public movement.
Further, police stated that Vijay arrived late and remained inside his campaign bus for an extended period, leading to overcrowding and restlessness among the gathered crowd. The absence of proper crowd control measures, failure to follow police instructions, and inadequate arrangements for water and medical assistance reportedly worsened the situation.
As per the FIR, the crowd began climbing steel sheds and trees for a better view. When these structures gave way, people fell into the dense crowd below, resulting in a fatal stampede. Many victims reportedly died due to suffocation and crush injuries, as per the FIR
The accused are alleged to have knowingly caused delay, neglected basic safety protocols, and failed to provide adequate facilities, which resulted in the deaths of 39 people, including 18 women and 10 children, and injuries to many more.