BJP leader K. Annamalai on Sunday demanded a CBI investigation into the Karur rally stampede that killed 40 people, blaming alleged lapses by the state police and local administration for the tragedy.
Speaking to reporters, Annamalai said the state police and intelligence should have anticipated the size of the crowd and deployed adequate security.
"It is not Vijay's fault. It is for the state police and intelligence to anticipate the crowd and deploy the police force adequately. Why did the police give them permission for 7 hours? Give it for 2 hours... As the Tamil Nadu BJP, we are demanding a CBI inquiry. The state CM wants a one-man former judge inquiry commission, and he also handpicked the judge. How can it be a fair inquiry?" he said.
The massive crowd at Vijay's rally on Saturday reportedly turned chaotic, triggering panic. Several attendees fainted and were rushed to nearby hospitals. Sources had said that overcrowding at the venue led to the tragedy.
Highlighting the shortcomings of the venue and security arrangements, Annamalai added, "On behalf of the Karur BJP, we have announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for each of the deceased... The place where the function took place yesterday is unfit to accommodate even 5,000 people... The state police says 500 people were deployed.We don't believe that. The real ground-level police officers were fewer than 100 in number.The local administration's failure has contributed to an episode of this nature. Vijay has every right to go anywhere in Tamil Nadu and campaign."
He further said, "The government utterly failed yesterday... There were hardly 100 policemen on the ground. The complete responsibility and failure lie with the local and state administrations. TVK and Vijay also have to take responsibility for how the yatra was designed... For no more lives to be lost, Vijay and TVK have to rectify their mistakes, and the state government has to take 100% ownership for the utter failure of intelligence and deployment of manpower."
Annamalai also urged Vijay to exercise greater responsibility during public events. "Here, the government failed in its responsibility as an honest broker... Vijay must understand that, as a cinema star transitioning into politics, he needs to be more responsible in his approach... Why did 10 children die? When you hold rallies on a weekend, more children will come with their mothers... You intentionally schedule it for a weekend because you want a larger crowd to attend... The design of this people's meet itself is faulty... Vijay should be on the ground and face this," he said.
State Police Response
Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu ADGP (Law and Order) S Davidson Devasirvatham responded to the Karur stampede, asserting that it was not an "intelligence failure" and that adequate arrangements had been made for Vijay's political rally.
The ADGP said that street lighting was sufficient at the venue but acknowledged that certain conditions for crowd management had been violated.
Speaking to the media, he said, "...they (TVK) requested permission to conduct this event at a place called Light House Raundana. This was not accepted by the police because it was considered a high-risk place, with a petrol pump on the left and the Amaravati River bridge on the right. So the officers decided it was not advisable to give permission there. They requested another location, which was also inspected, and they were informed that the number of people they planned to bring could not be accommodated there. As an alternative, we suggested this place because a political party had recently organised an event there with approximately 12,000 to 15,000 people, and it had passed off very peacefully. So, they also went and saw the place. Finally, they agreed."
"They gave us in writing that we could be allowed to hold the event there... No, it was not an intelligence failure... There were adequate streetlights there... Yes, some conditions were violated. A case has been registered, and the investigation will reveal who is involved," the ADGP added.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
