New Delhi: TVK chief Vijay was questioned for six hours on Monday by the CBI in connection with the Karur stampede case, officials said. This marked the second round of questioning for the actor-turned-politician, who was earlier grilled for six hours at the agency’s headquarters on January 12.
Vijay was initially asked to appear on January 13, but requested a later date due to Pongal celebrations. He arrived at the CBI office on Lodhi Road in a convoy of luxury SUVs at around 10:20 am and departed at approximately 5 pm.
TVK party leader C.T. Nirmal Kumar, speaking outside the CBI office, said, “We are cooperating with the investigating agencies. Lots of rumours are being spread which are not true. We all know what happened in Karur. MPs from Delhi had gone to Karur; even the Tamil Nadu BJP president has stated the facts. Please refrain from spreading any misinformation. He (Vijay) has not been called again.”
The questioning was conducted by a team led by a deputy superintendent-rank officer from the CBI’s anti-corruption wing. Officials said Vijay was asked about decision-making related to the rally, reasons for his delay, continuation of his speech, his awareness of the chaos, crowd turnout, and alleged mismanagement.
Senior political officials from his party, as well as police and district administration officials involved in rally clearance and management, will be consulted before deciding whether to attribute responsibility to individuals in the chargesheet.
The CBI took over the investigation from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) following a Supreme Court order. The agency has been gathering evidence related to the September 27 stampede in Karur, which claimed 41 lives and left more than 60 injured.
In October last year, the apex court directed the CBI director to appoint a senior officer to lead the investigation and constituted a supervisory committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Ajay Rastogi, to monitor the probe.
A bench comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and N.V. Anjaria highlighted the nationwide impact of the stampede, stating, “It has wide ramifications with respect to the lives of citizens, and enforcing the fundamental rights of the families who lost their kin is of utmost importance.” The court emphasised that “the faith and trust of the general public in the process of investigation must be restored, and one way to instil such trust is by ensuring that the investigation in the present case is completely impartial, independent, and unbiased.”
With PTI inputs