- Chief Minister Stalin blamed actor Vijay and his TVK for the Karur stampede that killed 41 people
- The stampede was caused by Vijay's 7-hour delay in arriving and inadequate event amenities by TVK, Stalin said
- Police deployed adequate cops for 25,000-strong crowd, but chaos ensued after barricades breached, Stalin said
Political squabbling over the September 27 stampede in Tamil Nadu's Karur spilled over to the Assembly Wednesday morning after Chief Minister MK Stalin ripped into actor Vijay, holding him and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam responsible for a tragedy that killed 41 people.
Stalin blamed the stampede on gross scheduling errors by the TVK.
He said the police were told to expect a five-hour event from 3 pm. But the party then said Vijay would reach the venue by noon, necessitating a revision of police deployment. Vijay, he said, eventually arrived seven hours later, causing a surge of people that stalled even his bus.
"This is one important reason for the stampede," the Chief Minister said, also slamming the organisers, i.e., the TVK, for 'failing to ensure basic amenities, like drinking water and adequate bathrooms for women' and accusing TVK workers of 'attacking' two ambulance drivers.
The emergency services personnel were injured, while they were trying to help the injured, and their vehicles vandalised, Stalin told the Assembly. Police cases have been filed, he said.
On the TVK's allegation the confusion was exacerbated by the state turning off the electricity supply, Stalin said the generator had been powered down to avoid any more mishaps.
What happened?
The stampede occurred at a rally to be headlined by Vijay, whose TVK will make its electoral debut in next year's election. But the actor was late, and the crowd swelled as it waited, till it became unmanageable and led to a crush in which women and children also died.
The Karur stampede
The TVK and Vijay then hit out at Stalin and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam over the deaths, alleging a 'vendetta' by the Chief Minister to hobble his rival before the election.
READ | "Taking Revenge?" Vijay Cries Vendetta Over Stampede, DMK Hits Back
Vijay also claimed mismanagement of the event by local officials and the police.
Days later the Tamil Nadu government issued a point-by-point rebuttal, defending the state's handling of the event and insisting adequate security and medical arrangements were made.
READ | Tamil Nadu Issues Point-By-Point Rebuttal To TVK Over Karur Stampede
Stalin echoed those rebuttals in the Assembly this morning.
"Permission was denied for rallies at Lighthouse Corner and in Uzhavar Market," he said, explaining that those are crowded areas unsuitable for large (and volatile) political meetings.
Permission was eventually granted at the Karur ground, but with 11 conditions, the Chief Minister said, and the local police made ample provision for crowd safety, including deploying over 500 personnel, not including the nearly 100 drafted from outside the state.
READ | "Will Bring Out Full Truth": MK Stalin On Vijay's Karur Rally Stampede
The police had been told to expect a crowd of 10,000 but, to be safe, they planned for a gathering double that size based on Vijay's previous rallies. Even that was not enough.
Post-stampede estimates put the crowd at 25,000.
The Chief Minister maintained that despite these meticulous preparations, the crowd turnout so far exceeded expectations that chaos erupted when the barricades were breached.
'Total mismanagement': NDA MPs
Vijay and his TVK have also been blamed by MPs from the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance. A report submitted by an eight-member panel blamed 'complete administrative collapse' for the tragedy. The DMK was also accused of mismanagement.
The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the stampede and its causes, a ruling the TVK welcomed. The CBI inquiry will be overseen by a three-member panel to be led by a former judge of the top court, Justice Ajay Rastogi.
So far two TVK functionaries have been arrested. Cases have been filed against two senior leaders - N 'Bussy' Anand, the General Secretary, and Joint General Secretary Nirmal Sekar.
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