Amid the ongoing row over the Karur rally stampede, actor-politician Vijay on Wednesday cancelled his public meeting programmes for the next two weeks, announced his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). These engagements may be held later.
“In this situation where we are in pain and sorrow over the loss of our loved ones, the public meeting program of our party leader for the next two weeks is being temporarily postponed. We inform you with the approval of our party leader that new details regarding this public meeting will be announced later,” the party said in Tamil in a post on X.
The development comes just a day after TVK chief Vijay issued a video statement on the Karur rally stampede and said that his heart was filled with “pain”.
In a nearly five-minute-long, Vijay expressed deep anguish over the lives lost in the incident and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.
The TVK chief clarified why he left the scene after the stampede, saying that he did not want to cause further panic and trigger another untoward incident there. Denying any wrongdoing on his or TVK’s part, Vijay affirmed that “all the truth will come out soon”.
As many as 41 people were killed in the stampede at Vijay’s rally in Karur on September 27. In connection with the tragedy, two TVK functionaries, Karur West District Secretary Mathiyazhagan and Karur town functionary Paun Raj, were arrested. Paun Raj was sent to judicial custody till October 14 by a court on Tuesday.
Further, a third member, TVK campaign management general secretary Aadhav Arjuna, was also booked by the police for his alleged social media past, calling for “Gen Z” protest for resistance against the current state government.
Additionally, TVK chief Vijay addressed the FIRs against his party members in his video message and asked chief minister MK Stalin not to lay hands on his supporters and party leaders. He said, “do anything to me, but don’t lay a hand on them”.
