Karur : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur, part of the NDA-BJP fact-finding delegation that visited Karur following the tragic stampede, urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to take full charge of the situation and direct the concerned authorities to furnish a comprehensive report at the earliest.
The stampede occurred on September 27 during a public rally led by Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay, resulting in the death of 41 people and leaving several others injured. The event drew a massive crowd, and preliminary observations suggested that lapses in crowd management contributed to the chaos.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Thakur called for a detailed inquiry into the incident, urging that the report include an analysis of the primary causes of the tragedy, crowd control arrangements made by local authorities, lapses identified so far, and measures being planned by the state to prevent such incidents in the future.
"I urge you to take complete charge of this situation and ask the concerned authorities to furnish a report at the earliest, covering the following aspects: The primary reasons for the incident: What were the primary factors and sequence of events that led to the occurrence of the stampede in Karur. Crowd management measures: What arrangements and precautionary measures were taken by the administration and law enforcement agencies to regulate and manage the crowd prior to and during the event? Cause analysis: What, according to the initial findings, were the lapses or unforeseen circumstances that contributed to the tragedy despite preventive actions? I also request you to kindly suggest & share the measures that are being planned by the State Government to ensure such incidents do not occur in the future," the letter reads.
He further requested that the Chief Minister share the steps being initiated by the state government to ensure public safety in future gatherings. On September 30, an eight-member NDA-BJP delegation visited the government hospital in Karur, where the injured are undergoing treatment. Members of the delegation include BJP MPs Hema Malini (convenor), Aparajita Sarangi, Tejasvi Surya, Braj Lal, Rekha Sharma, Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Putta Mahesh Kumar (Telugu Desam Party), and Anurag Thakur.
The leaders interacted with the families of the victims and those injured in the incident and assured them of support. Meanwhile, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court is scheduled to hear the case related to the stampede incident. Petitions seeking anticipatory bail filed by TVK General Secretary Anand and Nirmal Kumar are also expected to be taken up by the court.