- "We did not run away," said Kanimozhi, hinting that actor-politician Vijay was missing when the tragedy struck
- Vijay was seen tossing water bottles to people before the panic broke out. He cut short his speech and left
- Hours after the accident, Vijay offered his condolences. "My heart is shattered," he posted on X
A day after 40 people were killed and nearly 100 injured in a stampede at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay's rally in Tamil Nadu's Karur district, DMK MP Kanimozhi took a jab at the popular actor-turned-politician.
"We did not run away," said Kanimozhi, appearing to hint that the actor-politician was missing when the tragedy struck.
State police chief G Venkataraman said crowds had been waiting for hours under the hot sun without sufficient food and water after the public was informed that Vijay would arrive at the venue by noon.
"The crowds started coming in from 11 am. He came at 7:40 pm. The people lacked sufficient food and water under the hot sun," he told reporters.
He added 10,000 people were expected but some 27,000 turned up.
As the event progressed, there were repeated instances of people fainting. Witnessing this, Vijay paused his speech. Videos on social media showed him tossing water bottles to supporters shortly before the panic broke out.
Sensing that the situation was getting out of control, Vijay cut short his speech and left the spot. The actor left for Trichy airport after the rally and flew to Chennai by a private flight.
Hours after the accident, Vijay offered his condolences.
"My heart is shattered," he posted on X. "I am writhing in unbearable, indescribable pain and sorrow that words cannot express."
Chief Minister MK Stalin, who rushed to Karur past midnight, expressed deep anguish and said such a tragedy should never happen again. He announced that a judicial commission, led by retired Justice Aruna Jagadeesan, will investigate the incident.
"Insensitive to blame anyone. The Chief Minister has also said this. A Commission is here, and we should leave it to them. We should now look for the safety of the people," underlined Kanimozhi.
Meanwhile, Vijay's party, the TVK, has alleged a DMK conspiracy behind the stampede and has approached the Madras High Court with a petition that urges the court to set up a Special Investigation Team or to transfer the case to the central agency CBI.
"There was a conspiracy, a criminal conspiracy in the incident at Karur, so we requested the honourable high court to investigate the matter independently, not by a state agency," Arivazhagan, the state coordinator of TVK's legal wing, told NDTV.
Vijay, who quit his acting career last year to enter politics, has been touring across the state and will cover all 38 districts via public meetings. Events during the tour will be mostly held on Saturdays. Only one programme is scheduled on a Sunday.
