(Image source from: Moneycontrol.com)

The Supreme Court instructed on Monday for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look into the crowd crush that occurred during Vijay's rally, who is both an actor and a politician, in Karur, Tamil Nadu last month. A panel consisting of Justices JK Maheshwari and NV Anjaria appointed a three-person committee led by retired Supreme Court judge Ajay Rastogi to oversee the investigation. This committee will feature two officers from the Indian Police Service, likely from Tamil Nadu, though they are not from the local area. The Supreme Court also raised concerns about why a single judge from the Madras High Court's Chennai division, who had previously dismissed a request for a CBI inquiry, decided to take notice of the situation and issued a ruling, labeling the stampede as an event that “shook the nation.” The stampede that occurred during Vijay's rally on September 27 resulted in 41 deaths and injured over 60 individuals. Officials stated that the incident unfolded when around 30,000 people gathered at a location that could only accommodate approximately 10,000 participants. They mentioned that security guidelines were ignored, and there were no adequate provisions for food and water, which contributed to the disaster.

Vijay was expected to reach the event at noon but only showed up around 7 PM. The crowd had grown larger by the time he arrived, and his campaign bus seemingly caused another influx of people. During this period, many began climbing trees, rooftops, and power lines, prompting authorities to cut off electricity to prevent electrocution incidents. As Vijay’s arrival occurred, attendees began shoving each other and threw sandals at the campaign bus to draw his attention, leading to several individuals fainting. Officials reported that the police had to use batons to break up the crowd. The day following the tragedy, Vijay declared he would provide 20 lakh rupees for each deceased victim's family and 2 lakh rupees for those who were hurt. He also halted his tour across the state. On October 7, he held a video call with the families of the deceased to offer his condolences and assured them of his upcoming visit to Karur.

Mathiyazhagan, the TVK Secretary for the Karur West District, was taken into custody, with police stating that he was accountable for the mistakes that led to the disaster. Charges have also been brought against TVK's General Secretary Bussy Anand and Joint General Secretary Nirmal Sekar, who are currently absconding.