CHENNAI: Police in India have registered a criminal case against leaders of Tamil actor Vijay’s political party following a deadly stampede at his rally.
The stampede killed 39 people including children and injured more than 50 others in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
Senior police official V. Selvaraj confirmed the case was filed against TVK party senior leaders Bussy Anand, Nirmal Kumar and V.P. Mathiyalagan.
He stated that TVK originally sought permission for a gathering of 10,000 people but the actual crowd was more than double that number.
Vijay expressed being heartbroken by the stampede in Karur district and pledged support for the victims’ families.
The actor has drawn massive crowds since launching his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party last year ahead of state elections.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced compensation of 1 million rupees per family for the victims.
The state government has appointed a commission led by a retired judge to investigate the cause of the stampede.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as deeply saddening in a social media post.
Local media footage showed thousands of people surrounding Vijay’s campaign vehicle during the rally.
Vijay was seen throwing water bottles to fainting supporters and calling for police help as the crowd became uncontrollable.
His TVK party has targeted both the state’s ruling DMK party and Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. – Reuters
