TN Stampede: Two TVK Leaders Remanded To 14-Day Judicial Custody

(MENAFN- IANS) Chennai, Sep 30 (IANS) Two senior functionaries of actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) were on Tuesday remanded to 14 days' judicial custody in connection with the stampede that killed 41 people, including women and children, and left nearly 60 injured during a massive party rally at Velusamypuram in Karur on September 27.

Karur West District Secretary V. P. Mathiyalagan and Karur Central District Secretary Kasi Pounraj were produced before the Karur District Criminal Court and ordered to be held till October 14. Police named them in the First Information Report (FIR) for alleged lapses in crowd control and safety measures.

TVK state general secretary Bussy Anand and deputy general secretary Nirmal Kumar are also accused but have not yet been arrested.

The accused face serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 105), attempt to commit culpable homicide (110), endangering life of others (125), and disobedience to lawful order (223).

Investigators say the crowd far exceeded the 10,000 originally declared, and narrow access points and poor barricading triggered the deadly surge.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin called the tragedy“unprecedented and heartbreaking,” visiting Karur hours after the incident to console survivors and families of the victims. He announced state compensation and promised“no lapses will be spared” in the probe.

The government has appointed retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan to head a one-member inquiry commission.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, representing the Prime Minister, visited the affected families and announced Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. She said the Centre“shares the deep grief of the people of Tamil Nadu” and called for lessons to prevent similar tragedies.

TVK founder Vijay, who initially stayed away to avoid causing further commotion, said in a video message that he was“deeply pained” and promised to meet the families soon.“You may do anything to me, but not my party colleagues,” he added.

BJP MP Hema Malini, leading an NDA fact-finding team, said,“Had a larger, safer venue been provided, such a tragedy could have been avoided.”

AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami blamed“organisational failure,” while Congress national general secretary K. C. Venugopal called the stampede“beyond imagination” and demanded stricter safety norms for large public gatherings.

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