CBI SP Praveen Kumar, who is in charge of the investigation into the deadly stampede in Tamil Nadu's Karur, has reached the spot on Thursday night as the probe is set to begin on Friday.
This comes four days after the Supreme Court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the deadly stampede during Vijay's TVK rally. Noting that "fair and impartial investigation is a right of the citizens," the court directed the CBI to appoint a senior officer to take over the probe. The state police have handed over the FIR and other documents and evidence to the CBI.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu | TVK Karur District Secretary Madhiyazhagan and Pownraj, accused in Karur stampede case, released from Central Prison Trichy, after the court yesterday rejected their police custody extension pic.twitter.com/E2iorJ1eYL
— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2025
Pointing out that the stampede shook "national conscience" and that the case has "political undertone", the Supreme Court has appointed a three-member commission led by retired judge Ajay Rastogi to supervise the probe.
The bench, which comprised Justices J.K. Maheshwari and N.V. Anjaria, recounted the statement by state police officials that their subordinates were not at fault. "Prima facie, this fact in itself creates a doubt in the minds of the public about the independence and impartiality of the investigation," the court said.
The court said in order to restore the public's faith in the criminal justice system, it is important that the investigation in the stampede case is "completely impartial, independent and unbiased."
After the apex court order, TVK general secretary Aadhav Arjuna alleged that the state government was planning to falsely implicate the TVK with fabricated charges.
"Allegations that Vijay arrived late are completely baseless. The police assaulted TVK members as if they were terrorists. The DMK made efforts to suppress the TVK. Vijay arrived between 3 pm and 10 pm, the exact time permitted by the police," he said earlier. |
