A day after video calling families of the 41 Karur stampede victims, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has submitted a letter to the Director General of Police (DGP) seeking permission and security arrangements for its party president Vijay to visit Karur in order to meet them.
The letter from actor-politician Vijay's team, to the DGP—a copy of which is available with THE WEEK—has laid down five conditions for his visit: zero-tolerance crowd control from Trichy airport to the venue and return, security at Trichy airport, venue security in Karur, media and publicity restrictions, and itinerary and cooperation.
The letter was sent via email on the evening of October 7 (Tuesday), seeking permission and security arrangements for Vijay’s visit to Karur next week.
As Vijay is already a Y-category security protectee, according to TVK insiders, a copy of the letter was forwarded to the Union Home Ministry. The letter was later submitted to the DGP in person by TVK lawyer S. Arivazhagan.
"To achieve a seamless and secure visit, we request to provide for the following comprehensive security arrangements, in compliance with all applicable laws, including the Police Act, 1861, and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS)," reads the letter accessed by THE WEEK.
Here are the conditions of the TVK letter (verbatim) to the DGP:
1) Zero-tolerance crowd control from Trichy airport to venue and return
- Deploy police checkpoints and mobile patrols along the entire route (Trichy Airport to Karur venue and return) to prevent any unauthorised vehicles, including two-wheelers, from following or approaching the convoy, as per Section 148 of BNSS (dispersal of assembly by use of civil force).
- Designate a secured corridor with traffic diversions to ensure uninterrupted movement, minimising public interaction and adhering to Tamil Nadu Police Manual guidelines.
2) Security at Trichy airport
- Provide armed police escorts at the airport to secure entry and exit points, ensuring no crowd formation or unauthorised access.
- Coordinate with airport authorities to facilitate swift and secure transit from the aircraft to the convoy.
3) Venue security in Karur
- Establish a 1km security cordon around the designated venue in Karur district, restricting access to only pre-approved family members of the deceased, programme organisers, TVK president’s Y-security, and escort team.
- Deploy special protection with zero-tolerance crowd control measures and security arrangements.
- Ensure controlled entry and exit at the venue through a single access point, with police verification of attendees against a pre-submitted list of participants with ID card provided by the party.
4) Media and publicity restrictions
- Restricted access for media during the visit at the venue.
5) Itinerary and cooperation
- Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam president’s itinerary would involve landing at Trichy airport, travelling to the Karur designated venue for private meetings, and returning to the airport for a flight to Chennai.
- Date, time, venue and duration of the programme details will be shared following consultation with the Karur District Collector and Superintendent of Police.
TVK pledges full cooperation with the Tamil Nadu police and district administration regarding coordination of the visit.
Highly placed sources in the Tamil Nadu police say that it was the first time the department received such a letter asking it for elaborate arrangements for a celebrity or a political leader in the country.
"He will whip up frenzy in his fan base, and it’s our responsibility to control them?" asked a senior police officer, on conditions of anonymity.
In fact, when Vijay reached Namakkal on September 27, the Karur police and the District Collector had informed him and his team—including Aadhav Arjuna and Jagadish Palaniswami, who were travelling with Vijay in the campaign bus—about the frenzied crowd that was gathering at Velusamypyram in Karur and asked him to reach there at the earliest possible.
Apparently, several hundred fans followed his cavalcade in their motorbikes. Some of them even hit his campaign bus.
"What is 'zero tolerance crowd control'?" asked the officer.
Despite being a state that has seen many politicians rise from the cinema industry, 'zero tolerance crowd control' protection has never been asked for before.
"How are we supposed to not tolerate anything?" the senior officer questioned.
According to his party office bearers, Vijay has spoken to 33 out of the 41 families of the victims of the fatal accident.
He dialled them over a video call and spoke with each of them for 2-10 minutes. The family members were strictly instructed not to record or take screenshots of the video call.
While speaking to the mother of Dhruv, a one-and-a-half-year-old who died in the stampede, Vijay is believed to have asked her why she sent her baby to the rally. |
