"Sabotage": TVK Goes To Madras High Court Over Stampede At Vijay's Rally

Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Aadhav Arjuna has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu government not to obstruct party president Vijay from visiting families of those who lost their lives in the Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives on Saturday.

In the petition, Arjuna has also sought a transfer of the investigation from the Karur Town Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), alleging that the tragedy was the result of a political conspiracy by the ruling DMK.

Narrating how the Karur rally turned tragic, Arjuna has alleged that electricity was deliberately cut during Vijay's speech, creating panic, and that anti-social elements infiltrated the crowd, throwing stones and slippers.

He has further claimed that empty ambulances were driven into the gathering and that police resorted to a lathi charge, triggering chaos in the narrow venue chosen by authorities despite TVK's objections.

To strengthen his claim of a political conspiracy, Arjuna has pointed out in his affidavit that former minister V Senthil Balaji and the state's School Education Minister reached the Karur hospital almost immediately after the tragedy.

According to him, the "swiftness" of their presence, along with doctors and facilities already in place, suggests the ruling DMK anticipated the incident and was prepared to exploit it.

Calling the incident a "deliberate sabotage," the petition contends that the state police and administration acted under political pressure, and argues that only a CBI probe can ensure justice.

The affidavit also seeks interim orders to secure CCTV footage of the incident and to restrain officials from preventing Vijay and TVK leaders from meeting the victims' families in Karur.

TVK counsel Arivazhagan on Sunday told NDTV that the stampede was "motivated" by DMK functionaries.

"We've enclosed photos and reliable documents. This case must be investigated by the CBI, not the local police," he said, adding that the matter is listed for hearing on Friday.

The ruling DMK has strongly denied the allegations, dismissing them as "politically motivated" attempts to exploit a tragedy ahead of the elections.

The police and electricity department authorities have also refuted these allegations, claiming adequate security had been deployed and that there was no disruption in official power supply. They said only the supply from a private generator installed by TVK to power focus lights failed during the stampede.

A case has been filed against a TVK leader, and a one-member enquiry commission under Retd Justice Aruna Jagadeesan has been constituted to probe the incident.