New Delhi: Two months after a stampede in Tamil Nadu’s Karur killed 41 people during a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally on September 27, the Tamil Nadu government has told the Supreme Court that the tragedy is attributable to a string of “reckless and uncoordinated actions” by the organisers and workers of the TVK party.

The state government, in its affidavit filed before the Supreme Court has said that there was an intentional delay of around seven hours by Vijay at the designated Karur site to invite more crowd at the venue, reported The Tribune.

“Thiru C Joseph Vijay, leader of TVK, departed Chennai at 8.40 am by air en route to Tiruchirappalli, arriving at 9.25 am. He subsequently proceeded to Namakkal to attend a scheduled programme and departed thereafter for Karur, which resulted in an arrival delay of approximately seven hours at the designated Karur venue. It shows his intentional delay to invite more crowd at the venue,” the state government has said in its affidavit.

According to eyewitnesses, the stampede took place just after Vijay began his speech in Karur, with the entire event unfolding within 10 minutes. More than a dozen people who sat on a tree branch collapsed on a crowd, which further worsened the situation by causing panic

On October 13, the Supreme Court had ordered a CBI investigation into the Karur stampede. Previously, the Madras high court criticised the TVK leadership for their conduct after the stampede. Vijay has not been named in any FIR related to the case, however, the high court had directed the state to register a criminal case in connection with two hit-and-run incidents allegedly involving Vijay’s bus. A case has been filed against the driver of the campaign vehicle.

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