Karur stampede: Madras High Court forms SIT to probe

Madurai/Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the September 27 stampede at the political rally of actor and TVK founder Vijay. The High Court also rejected the anticipatory bail of two senior party leaders and found fault with the party and the police over the incident that killed 41 persons and injured over 60, PTI reported.

Further, the court bench of Justice Senthilkumar observed that the court “highly condemns” the act of the TVK leaders in having “abandoned” the innocent people who had thronged the venue at Velusamypuram in Karur district, The Indian Express reported. The court said that the party must have come to the victims’ rescue.

The court issued order to form the SIT, headed by Inspector General of Police Asra Garg after expressing dissatisfaction over the probe conducted by the local police and after observing that the State appeared to be going soft on the TVK leaders and “showing leniency” despite the latter having “fled from the scene of occurrence” after the death of scores of children and women, TIE reported.

The principal bench of the HC here also dismissed a BJP leader's plea seeking a CBI probe into the incident, and directed her to approach the Madurai bench, according to PTI.

It was the Madurai Madurai bench that dismissed the anticipatory bail pleas of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) state general secretary Bussy N Anand and deputy general secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar, who have been named in the FIR in connection with the incident.

The TVK functionaries, besides a local leader of the party who has since been arrested, were booked under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 125 (endangering life of others), and 223 (disobedience to order), of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.