Chennai: Actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President, Vijay will leave for New Delhi on Saturday evening to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the tragic stampede that occurred during his campaign rally in Karur last year.
The CBI has issued fresh summons directing Vijay to appear before its Delhi office on Sunday as part of the ongoing investigation into the incident.
According to sources, the TVK leader is scheduled to depart from Chennai at around 3 p.m. this evening and reach the national Capital ahead of the questioning.
The case pertains to the stampede that occurred on September 27 during Vijay’s campaign rally in Karur. A massive crowd had gathered to attend the event, and the situation reportedly spiralled out of control when the crowd surged forward.
In the resulting crush, 41 people, including women and children, lost their lives, triggering widespread concern over crowd management and safety arrangements at large political gatherings.
Following the incident, the case was taken over by the CBI for a detailed investigation. The agency has since been examining various aspects related to the organisation of the rally, including crowd control measures, permissions granted for the event, and the role of organisers and local authorities.
Vijay had earlier appeared before CBI officials on January 12 and January 19 at the agency’s office in New Delhi, where he was questioned regarding the planning and conduct of the rally and the events that led to the stampede.
Subsequently, the CBI issued another summons asking him to appear on March 10. However, Vijay reportedly informed the agency that he had pre-scheduled commitments and requested time to appear at a later date.
He also sought permission to attend the questioning at the CBI office in Chennai instead of travelling to Delhi. The agency, however, rejected the request and insisted that the questioning be conducted at its Delhi headquarters.
Following this, the CBI issued a fresh summons directing Vijay to appear before investigators in New Delhi on March 15.
Sources close to the TVK leadership said Vijay has decided to fully cooperate with the investigation and will travel to Delhi this evening to comply with the summons.
The CBI is expected to continue its probe into the circumstances surrounding the Karur stampede as part of efforts to determine responsibility for the tragic incident.
(IANS)
