Police detain driver of TVK chief Vijay’s campaign vehicle in connection with Karur rally stampede

A case has been filed against the driver of actor-politician Vijay’s campaign vehicle in connection with an accident he was allegedly involved in while on his way to the Karur rally on September 27, where a stampede claimed the lives of 41 people, police said.

The TVK chief’s campaign vehicle has also been included in the FIR, they added.

The case concerns an incident in which several Vijay fans, who were riding their motorcycles very close to the campaign bus, apparently to catch a glimpse of the star, met with an accident which allegedly involved the campaign vehicle. A video clip showing this strange accident was broadcast by several television channels and widely shared on social networks.

The High Court also questioned why no action was taken against the bus driver for his alleged involvement in the accident, when he was heading towards Karur, where a stampede during the rally claimed the lives of 41 people and left around 60 injured.

In its order, the Court said, “It has further been brought to the notice of this Court that the videography submitted by the senior counsel for the petitioner, which was also widely circulated in the print and visual media, clearly shows that the bus carrying Vijay, the leader of the political party, was involved in an accident. » “In the footage, it is visibly evident that two motorcycles were involved in the accident and the bus driver, having seen the incident, fled from the scene,” the High Court observed.

Similarly, another accident at the back of the bus is also captured in a music video. The person sitting at the front left of the bus witnesses this. In both cases, no first information report was registered by the police accused in the hit-and-run offences, the court observed.

“This Court expresses its deep anguish and concern over the inaction of the authorities. Even in the absence of a formal complaint from the aggrieved parties, it is the duty of the State to register a suo motu FIR and ensure that the accused is tried in accordance with law,” the Court said.

On Sunday, several sources at the Karur Superintendent of Police office and Velayuthampalaym police station confirmed to PTI that cases had been booked in connection with the accidents captured in the video involving collisions with the bus in which Vijay was traveling.