Alleging a “conspiracy” behind the stampede that claimed 41 lives during the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally addressed by actor-politician Vijay on September 27, C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, joint secretary of the party, on Tuesday said he and other frontline office-bearers of the party had given a statement to CBI officers, naming a few suspects.
Emerging from the Circuit House, being used by the CBI officers for conducting the inquiry into the stampede, Mr. Nirmal Kumar, who was among those who appeared for the inquiry for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, said they had “some doubts” over the stampede, which were brought to the notice of the CBI officers. Video footage and other materials related to the stampede were handed over to the officials.
To a query, he said the CBI officers had sought explanations on the doubts raised by the TVK’s senior functionaries, including general secretary ‘Bussy’ N. Anand and Aadhav Arjuna. The senior functionaries had given clarifications to the inquiry officials, he added.
Mr. Nirmal Kumar said the “conspirators” could not be named in public as the investigation was on. The people knew what happened, and why it happened in Karur. The victims should get justice, and the TVK would continue its struggle until the culprits are punished, he said. “We believe we will get justice, and all the culprits will be brought to book. The TVK will extend full cooperation to the investigating officers,” he said.
When asked whether Mr. Vijay, the party founder, would be summoned for the inquiry, Mr. Nirmal Kumar said the party functionaries would appear whenever asked to do so.
When asked about the contention that the late arrival of Mr. Vijay at the venue had led to the stampede, Mr. Nirmal Kumar said the people knew why he had come late – the campaign vehicle had to move inch by inch, and the volunteers had been struggling to regulate the crowd to make way for the vehicle.
Mr. Nirmal Kumar parried a question on whether AIADMK rebel and former Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan had planned to join the TVK, saying this was not the place to discuss the matter.
Earlier, Mr. Anand, Mr. Aadhav Arjuna, TVK Karur (west) district secretary Mathiazhagan, and town secretary C. Pounraj appeared before the CBI for the second time. They were quizzed for more than 15 hours over two days.
Published – November 25, 2025 07:03 pm IST
