The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a thorough investigation into the stampede that occurred during a political rally held by actor-turned-politician and TVK chief Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu, last month.
A bench comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and N.V. Anjaria also announced the formation of a three-member monitoring committee to oversee the probe. The committee will be led by retired Supreme Court judge Ajay Rastogi and will include two senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, who may be from the Tamil Nadu cadre but must not be natives of the state.
The apex court raised concerns over how a single judge of the Madras High Court’s Chennai Bench, who had earlier rejected the demand for a CBI probe, later took suo motu cognisance of the matter. The judge had referred to the stampede as an incident that had “shaken the nation”. The Supreme Court questioned the appropriateness of the judge taking further action after having dismissed the initial plea for a central investigation.
The tragic incident occurred on 27 September during Vijay’s rally, where over 30,000 people had gathered at a venue reportedly designed to accommodate only about 10,000. According to officials, the overcrowding was worsened by violations of security protocols and the absence of essential arrangements such as food and drinking water.
Vijay, who was scheduled to arrive at 12 noon, reached the venue around 7 p.m. In the long wait leading up to his arrival, the crowd had swelled further. As his campaign bus entered, it reportedly triggered a surge in the already dense crowd.
Officials stated that many people had climbed trees, rooftops, and even electrical poles in an attempt to get a better view, prompting authorities to cut off power supply to prevent possible electrocutions. In the ensuing chaos, slippers were thrown at the campaign bus in an attempt to grab the leader’s attention. As the crowd grew more restless and people began to faint, police resorted to a lathi charge to bring the situation under control. The disaster resulted in the deaths of 41 people and left over 60 injured.
Following the incident, Vijay announced compensation of ₹20 lakh for each bereaved family and ₹2 lakh for those injured. The TVK chief also suspended his statewide political tour as a mark of respect. On 7 October, Vijay interacted with the families of the deceased via video call. During the call, he offered condolences and assured them of his support. “I will visit Karur soon to meet you in person,” he told the grieving families.
The Tamil Nadu police have arrested TVK Karur West District Secretary, Mathiyazhagan, holding him accountable for lapses that contributed to the tragedy. In addition, cases have been filed against TVK’s General Secretary Bussy Anand and Joint General Secretary Nirmal Sekar.
