Madras High Court forms SIT to probe stampede at actor-politician Vijay’s rally

The Madras High Court on Friday constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the stampede at actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam rally in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district, which left 41 persons dead, Live Law reported.

The SIT will be headed by Inspector General of Police Asra Garg.

Justice N Senthilkumar verbally criticised the party’s “attitude” of “abandoning” the site after the incident.

The court said that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam did not express remorse after the stampede.

The court added that it cannot shirk its responsibility. “The entire world has witnessed the events,” Live Law quoted the court as saying.

The order came on a plea filed by a man who had sent a representation to the state authorities requesting guidelines for roadshows and an investigation into the tragedy.

The petitioner said the stampede, which occurred on September 27 evening at Veluchamy Puram, was not just an accident but the result of “careless planning and complete negligence” by organisers.

He added that there is an absence of standard operating procedures for political rallies and said that without such guidelines, similar incidents could happen again.

Earlier in the day, the Madurai bench of the High Court had rejected a clutch of petitions seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the stampede, Live Law reported.

Another set of petitions before the Madurai bench had sought the framing of standard...

Read more