Karur stampede: Over 300 intellectuals urge TN govt to bring Vijay to justice

OVER 300 writers, poets, intellectuals, activists and journalists on Thursday issued a joint statement demanding the state government not to hesitate to bring actor and TVK president Vijay before the law for the stampede that happened during his rally in Karur on Saturday in which 41 people were killed.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

The statement also urged the state to find out if there were any lapses in security measures and enforcement in Karur, taking into assessment the previous events of Vijay and their impact. “Measures to prevent such tragedies and control the crowd should be identified,” they said.

They said that they were issuing the statement, unable to witness the spreading of false information and belittling of the deaths. Some of the prominent signatories included retired judge of Madras High Court Justice K Chandru, retired IAS office MG Devasahayam, human rights activist Henri Tiphagne, writers Vannadhasan, Ponneelan, Kalapriya, Perumal Murugan, Imayam, Bama, and poets Yugabharathi, Sugirtharani, Kutti Revathi, among others.

The statement came down strongly on Vijay and said the videos from the event showed that making the people gathered to see him wait for over seven hours without adequate facilities, and making them follow his campaign vehicle without showing his face were the reasons for the stampede.