New Delhi (India): Following the Supreme Court’s order directing a CBI probe into the Karur stampede, Thamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) General Secretary Aadhav Arjuna on Monday dismissed claims that party chief Vijay arrived late at the campaign site in Karur and accused the DMK government of fabricating charges against the party.
He also alleged a deliberate conspiracy behind the tragedy that occurred during the party rally on September 27, which left 41 people dead.
Speaking to the media in Delhi, Arjuna said, “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 p.m. and 10 p.m., the exact time permitted by the police. We clearly realised that the DMK was trying to paralyse our entire party. The government had planned to falsely implicate the TVK with fabricated charges. There is indeed a conspiracy behind the Karur crowd crush incident.”
He also described the aftermath of the tragedy, saying that TVK members had to remain at the Karur district border as police warned that entry could lead to chaos and accused the DMK of targeting the party’s district secretaries and other leaders to suppress TVK’s activities.
“After the crowd crush incident, we stayed at the Karur district border. The police told us that if we entered, there would be chaos, so we left. The DMK is trying to paralyse the party by arresting district secretaries and others,” he said.
Furthermore, he expressed shock at the Madras High Court raising questions about Vijay’s leadership. “After a one-man commission was set up, government officials started coming one by one to give interviews. It was shocking that the Madras High Court raised questions about Vijay’s leadership qualities,” he said.
Arjuna also announced that, following Vijay’s instructions, he came to Delhi on October 1 and plans to support the families of the 41 victims, travel with them, and ensure justice.
“Justice must be served for the 41 families. Statements were made in the High Court to make TVK and Vijay appear as criminals. The Supreme Court has now clarified how wrong the Madras High Court’s order was. TVK is growing on a large scale, and we know very well to what extent attempts are being made to suppress TVK,” he added.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe into the Karur stampede, which took place during TVK chief and actor Vijay’s rally on September 27, leaving 41 persons dead and many others injured.
A bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and N.V. Anjaria also ordered a three-member committee to be headed by a former Supreme Court judge, Justice Ajay Rastogi, to monitor the CBI probe for a fair and impartial investigation into the tragedy.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
