TVK Chief Vijay Appears Before CBI In Karur Stampede Case

TVK chief and actor Vijay is being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Delhi in connection with the Karur stampede tragedy, in which 41 people lost their lives. The stampede occurred on September 27 last year at a massive political rally addressed by Vijay, marking one of the deadliest crowd disasters in Tamil Nadu's recent political history.

The probe into the incident has seen multiple legal turns. Initially, the Madras High Court had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to inquire into the circumstances leading to the tragedy. However, the Supreme Court later transferred the investigation to the CBI, directing that it be monitored by a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. The top court also quashed a one-member commission appointed earlier by the Tamil Nadu government, agreeing with arguments that a more independent and credible probe was required. Notably, Vijay's party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), had itself sought an independent investigation into the incident.

A source from TVK told NDTV, "Our leader will cooperate with the stampede investigation. We hope this will bring out the truth."

At the time of the tragedy, the Tamil Nadu Police had blamed Vijay's alleged inordinate delay in arriving at the venue for triggering the chaos, stating that the prolonged wait led to a surging and uncontrollable crowd. Police officials had also cited a lack of adequate food, drinking water, and toilet facilities, saying the weary crowd eventually turned unruly. Vijay, however, denied the allegations, calling them a "conspiracy" by the ruling DMK, a charge the party has rejected. He countered by blaming the police for poor crowd management and for failing to clear bottlenecks on approach roads to the venue.

Vijay's appearance before the CBI comes amid a separate controversy surrounding the delay in certification of his film 'Jana Nayagan', originally scheduled for release on the 10th of this month ahead of Pongal, but now delayed. While a single judge of the Madras High Court had directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant certification, a division bench later stayed the order and adjourned the matter to January 21. Neither Vijay nor TVK has officially commented on the film certification issue so far.

Opposition leaders, including those from the Congress, have alleged that central agencies, including the CBFC, are being misused to pressure TVK ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections due in a few months. Without naming the film, Chief Minister MK Stalin recently remarked that the CBFC had "joined the list of central agencies being used as weapons by the Union government." 

The BJP, which has recently revived ties with the AIADMK, has denied these allegations.

Vijay has consistently framed the upcoming electoral battle as a straight contest between the ruling DMK and TVK, calling the DMK his "political enemy" and the BJP his "ideological enemy." Political commentators, however, have speculated that the BJP, now aligned again with the AIADMK, may be seeking to maximise TVK's prospects so that Vijay not only splits anti-DMK votes but also emerges with enough seats to be relevant for a possible post-poll arrangement if he doesn't shake hands now. 

The BJP has rejected this theory. A senior BJP leader told NDTV, "Both are professional bodies. Why should we get him publicity when he's not joining us?"

Responding to questions on whether the CBI probe makes TVK vulnerable to political pressure, a senior party leader said, "So far, we are fine. We believe in the CBI probe. Should there be any pressure, we would approach the court."