NEW DELHI: TVK Chief, actor Vijay, on Monday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Delhi in connection with the investigation into the Karur stampede case. A special team is questioning him at the agency’s headquarters, sources said.
Last week, the CBI issued a notice to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President Vijay, asking him to join the investigation in connection with the stampede case. He was asked to appear for questioning on January 12 in Delhi.
The agency already examined several office-bearers of the TVK and now decided to question Vijay, after which it is expected to take a call on filing a charge sheet in the matter.The CBI took over the probe from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) following a Supreme Court order. The case pertains to a stampede that occurred on September 27 last year during a political meeting addressed by Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu, which left 41 people dead and over 60 injured.The apex court transferred the investigation to the CBI on a petition filed by the TVK seeking an independent probe. In October, the Supreme Court directed the CBI Director to appoint a senior officer to lead the investigation and constituted a 3-member supervisory committee headed by former Supreme Court Judge Justice Ajay Rastogi to monitor the probe.While ordering the CBI inquiry, a bench comprising Justices J K Maheshwari and N V Anjaria said the Karur stampede left a deep imprint on the national conscience and had wide ramifications on citizens’ right to life.
