The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail petition filed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) district secretary N Sathish Kumar in connection with the Karur stampede case.
Justice N Senthilkumar questioned the party’s inability to manage the massive crowd that had gathered for party chief Vijay’s roadshow, noting that the incident reflected unruly cadre behaviour and large-scale damage to public property.
Government Advocate S Santhosh opposed the bail plea and submitted before the court that nine First Information Reports (FIRs) had been registered against TVK members, including Sathish Kumar, for rioting and destruction of property.
Tragedy In Karur
The stampede occurred on September 27 during a public rally led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, drawing thousands of supporters. The chaos left 41 people dead and several others injured. Preliminary findings pointed to serious lapses in crowd management as one of the major reasons behind the tragedy.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin strongly criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for visiting Karur in the immediate aftermath of the incident. He accused the Centre of displaying selective concern for Tamil Nadu.
“When Tamil Nadu was struck by three major disasters, affecting thousands of people, the Union BJP Finance Minister neither visited nor provided any funds. But now, she immediately rushes to Karur.
The BJP, which did not send inquiry commissions for the Manipur riots, Gujarat incidents, or the Kumbh Mela deaths, is now promptly sending a team to Karur, not out of any genuine concern for Tamil Nadu, but simply because elections are due next year,” Stalin said.
In a sharp attack, the Chief Minister further remarked, “They (BJP) think they can gain some political mileage out of this (Karur stampede deaths) or use it to threaten someone. The BJP is in a position where it survives by sucking someone else’s blood.”
Stalin also accused the AIADMK of siding with a party that, in his view, consistently undermines Tamil Nadu’s interests.
BJP Demands Accountability
Meanwhile, BJP MP Anurag Thakur, part of the NDA-BJP fact-finding delegation that visited Karur, urged Stalin to take direct control of the situation. In his letter to the Chief Minister, Thakur demanded a comprehensive inquiry report, covering the causes of the stampede, the crowd control measures in place, administrative lapses, and future steps to avoid such tragedies.
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