Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on Friday said his party was not responsible for last year’s Karur stampede and blamed the police for poor crowd control during the event.
Speaking during his first visit to Karur as chief minister, Vijay gave appointment letters to family members of some of the victims. He said the tragedy still causes him deep pain.
“The Karur stampede caused great sorrow. We have lost the children of our sisters,” Vijay said.
The stampede happened during an election rally organised by his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party at Velusamypuram. Thousands of supporters had gathered for the event. Forty-one people, including children, died and more than 100 others were injured. The case is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Vijay denied claims that his party was responsible for the deaths. He said it was the police’s duty to control the crowd.
“I trusted the police to manage the crowd, but I was blamed for the deaths,” he said. He added that the police should have warned his team if the crowd situation was becoming dangerous.
The chief minister also announced that TVK will build a memorial in Karur to remember the people who died in the stampede.
Vijay also criticised the opposition DMK. He claimed the party tried to stop his visit to Karur and accused the previous DMK government of corruption.
His comments came after the DMK moved the Supreme Court to stop his visit, saying it could affect the ongoing CBI investigation. The party later withdrew its petition.
Vijay also asked people to support TVK in the upcoming Karur Assembly by-election, which was announced after former AIADMK MLA M.R. Vijayabhaskar resigned and joined the ruling party.
