New Delhi, Oct 7
The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear, on October 10, a plea challenging the Madras High Court’s order refusing a CBI probe into the Karur stampede -- a deadly incident at actor-politician Vijay’s TVK rally that claimed 41 lives and left more than 100 injured.
The tragedy, one of the worst crowd-control failures in Tamil Nadu in recent years, had sent shockwaves across the country and raised serious questions about public safety at political events.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai agreed to list the plea filed by BJP leader Uma Anandan for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), after the matter was mentioned for urgent hearing.
Earlier, the Madras High Court had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under IPS officer Asra Garg to probe the tragic incident, while refusing to proceed further on a petition seeking a CBI investigation.
In a hearing held on October 3, a Bench of Justices M. Dhandapani and M. Jothiraman suggested implementing strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for political rallies, following the Tamil Nadu government's proposal to frame such guidelines for rallies or meetings, including a ban on events near state or national highways.
The Madras High Court pulled up the TVK leaders and organisers of the rally over their failure to rescue the public and children, and for not taking responsibility for the incident.
“Whether they are leaders or party workers, after this incident, while the President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, and all political parties expressed grief and engaged in rescue efforts, the organisers of the event -- the party members -- had completely walked away,†it had observed.
The Madras High Court has directed the SIT to conduct an impartial and time-bound investigation and submit periodic updates.
Meanwhile, the probe panel has begun recording statements from eyewitnesses, residents, and officials involved in organising the event. Legal experts believe the SIT's findings will be pivotal in fixing accountability and preventing similar disasters in the future.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is so heartbreaking. 41 lives lost because of poor planning and negligence. The organizers should be held accountable, not just the party workers. Why are political rallies always so chaotic in our country?
While I support a thorough investigation, I'm not sure if CBI is always the answer. The SIT under IPS officer Asra Garg might do a good job if given proper resources and independence. Let's not make everything political.
The High Court's observation about organizers walking away is shocking! How can they abandon people after such a tragedy? This shows complete lack of responsibility. 😡
SOPs for political rallies are long overdue. Every state should have strict guidelines for crowd management. We can't keep losing lives like this. The ban on events near highways makes perfect sense for safety.
As someone who has attended political rallies, I can say the security arrangements are often inadequate. There's too much focus on the VIPs and not enough on the common people's safety. This tragedy was waiting to happen.
Hope the investigation brings closure to the victims' families. No political party should be above the law. The focus should be on preventing such incidents in future, not political point-scoring.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.