KARUR: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday said he would not make any political comment on the Karur stampede that claimed 39 lives, and asserted that further action would be based on the findings of the inquiry commission, headed by former High Court judge Justice Aruna Jagadeesan.
Speaking to reporters after interacting with the families of the deceased and paying his last respects, CM Stalin said, “I don’t want to make any political comment. Any action will be based on the findings [of the commission].” He was responding to questions regarding preliminary reports, speculation around the possible arrest of actor-politician Vijay, and social media criticism over police permissions and crowd control at the event.
The DMK chief reviewed the treatment being provided to the injured at the hospital, where doctors briefed him that 51 people-26 men and 25 women-remain in intensive care.
Without naming the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), the Chief Minister said, “People lost their lives because of an event conducted by a political party. This should not happen again anywhere.”
He also reiterated his earlier announcement of ex gratia compensation for the families of the deceased and for those injured in the tragedy.
The State government has appointed Justice Aruna Jagadeesan to head a one-member Commission of Inquiry into the incident. This marks her second such assignment, following her earlier role leading the probe into the Sathankulam custodial deaths.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary P Senthil Kumar in a press briefing on Sunday morning said as many as 26 people injured in the stampede here on September 27 were treated as outpatients and have been discharged, and 67 people who sustained injuries were undergoing treatment as inpatients at the Government Hospital here.
Of those undergoing treatment, the condition of two was critical.
"In this unfortunate incident, 39 deaths have been reported including 17 women, 13 men, 4 male children, and 5 female children. The postmortem has been done for 30 (out of 39 deceased) and the bodies have been handed over to their families," Senthil Kumar told reporters after visiting the patients at the GH.
On the admissions, he said 26 people were treated in the OPD and were discharged. And of the 67 admitted as in-patients, 2 were critical. All others were stable." he said.
(With inputs from PTI )