New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe the reasons behind the stampede at Karur in Tamil Nadu in which 41 people were killed, the Supreme Court ordered on Monday.
The bench of Justice J K Maheshwari and Justice N V Anjaria also appointed former apex court judge, Ajay Rastogi, as the head of committee which will monitor the CBI probe.
This order came on the basis of pleas filed by Tamil actor Vijay’s political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and others. The Court had, on October 10, reserved its order on the matter.
BJP leader Uma Anandan had moved the Supreme Court against a high court order refusing a CBI probe into the September 27 stampede. BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, G S Mani, has also filed a petition seeking a CBI probe into the stampede.
The TVK has also sought an independent investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court, contending that a fair and impartial probe would not be possible if conducted solely by officers of the Tamil Nadu Police.
The Madras High Court had constituted a special investigation team (SIT) only with officers of the Tamil Nadu Police. The TVK alleged the possibility of a pre-planned conspiracy by some miscreants that may have led to the stampede.
In its plea, the party also took exception to the scathing remarks of the high court against it and the actor-politician. The High Court had observed that Vijay and his party leaders had abandoned the place after the incident and did not express any remorse.
The police have been claiming that the rally saw a turnout of 27,000, nearly three times the expected 10,000 participants. Authorities have also blamed Vijay for arriving late at the venue, leading to the crowd getting restless.
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