by Police have made the first arrest in the stampede that killed 39 people at a rally of South Indian actor and politician Vijay Thalapathy in Tamil Nadu, India. The arrested person is Mathiyazhagan, who is the Karur West district secretary of Vijay’s party Tamilaga Vevtri Kazhagam (TVK).
According to Indian media, a case has been filed against Mathiyazhagan on serious charges of attempt to murder, negligent homicide and endangering public safety. At the same time, the police have also filed a case against TVK general secretary Busi Anand and joint secretary Nirmal Shekhar.
Not only that, a case has also been filed against party chief Vijay. The charge sheet says that Vijay reached the district early but was delayed by about four hours in reaching the venue. This led to the crowd becoming impatient and chaos ensued, leading to a tragic stampede. He has also been accused of holding a road show without permission.
The victims of the accident on Saturday included 10 children and 17 women. At least 50 people were injured, many of whom are still receiving treatment in hospitals. After the incident spread, angry mobs threatened to bomb the house of actor-politician Vijay.
Vijay expressed deep grief after the incident. In a statement, he said—
“My deepest condolences to the families of my dear brothers and sisters who lost their lives in Karur. My heart is broken. It is not possible to express this unbearable pain in words.”
He wished the injured a speedy recovery and announced financial assistance to the affected families.
