'Reckless' Vijay's intentional delay caused stampede, Tamil Nadu govt tells SC

New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) The Tamil Nadu government has told the Supreme Court that the Karur stampede in which 41 people were killed is attributable to a series of "reckless and uncoordinated actions" by the organisers and workers of the TVK party.

In an affidavit filed before the top court, the state government said there was an intentional delay of approximately seven hours by Vijay at the designated Karur site to invite more crowd at the venue.

"Thiru C. Joseph Vijay, leader of the TVK Party, departed Chennai at 8.40 am by air en route to Tiruchirappalli, arriving at approximately 9.25 am. He subsequently proceeded to Namakkal to attend a scheduled programme and departed thereafter for Kaur, 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 said.

Defending its arrangements, the state government said the Karur district police started deploying bandobust strength from 10.00 am on September 27, ensuring all security, crowd control, and traffic management arrangements were in place well in advance.

"However, in a grossly irresponsible and misleading act, the official X (Twitter) handle of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam publicly announced that Thiru C. Joseph Vijay would arrive at 12 pm, directly contradicting the permission granted and the schedule furnished in the petitioner's own request," the affidavit said.

The Tamil Nadu government said the state general secretary of TVK, through a press statement on the same day, incited premature public congregation at the venue.

"As a direct consequence of these unauthorised and misleading communications, thousands of supporters began assembling as early as 9.30 am, causing massive crowd accumulation, vehicular congestion, and public restlessness several hours before the event's scheduled commencement.

"The attendees, many of whom had travelled long distances, were forced to wait in the scorching heat without basic amenities, leading to dehydration, fatigue among the crowd," it said.

The Tamil Nadu government submitted that the police force remained steadfastly deployed and operational, exercising exceptional restraint and professionalism throughout the extended waiting period.

"The fact that order and public safety were maintained until the late arrival of the TVK leader-delayed by nearly seven hours-clearly demonstrates that the entire situation was effectively managed within the operational capacity of the police, despite the reckless and uncoordinated conduct of the organisers. It is to note there were no stampede since the TVK leader arrived the venue," the affidavit said.

The top court on October 13 had ordered a CBI probe into the Karur stampede, saying that the incident has shaken the national conscience and deserves a fair and impartial investigation.

In its order on a plea by TVK for an independent probe, the top court also set up a three-member supervisory committee headed by former apex court judge Ajay Rastogi to monitor the CBI investigation.

Earlier, the police said the rally saw a turnout of 27,000, nearly three times the expected 10,000 participants, and blamed a seven-hour delay by Vijay in reaching the venue for the tragedy. PTI