Vijay Rally Stampede Updates: The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Friday strongly criticised Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leaders after a chaotic public event, noting that party chief Vijay fled from the scene of occurrence. The court also ordered the formation of an SIT to probe the September 27 stampede. Justice N Senthilkumar reserved orders on anticipatory bail petitions filed by TVK leaders Bussy Anand and CTR Nirmal Kumar.
During the hearing, the court raised sharp questions about the responsibility of the organisers and the preparedness of the police. A separate public interest litigation (PIL) is also under consideration, seeking to restrain the Home Secretary and the Director General of Police from granting permission for road shows until proper guidelines or standard operating procedures (SOPs) are formulated.
Senior counsel V Raghavachari, representing the two petitioners, argued that they had no intention of harming their own cadres and that the incident should not be classified as culpable homicide.
He alleged that the police failed to provide adequate protection and highlighted that the venue had not been chosen by the petitioners. “If Velusamypuram was objectionable, the police ought to have rejected the petitioners’ request,” he said.
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Raghavachari further claimed the crowd turned unruly only after a lathi charge. “I have videos to show that chemicals were thrown on people which would make them faint,” he told the court, maintaining that any blame on the petitioners was misplaced.
Counsel and State Present Contrasting Accounts
The senior counsel also pointed out that police permission for the event was given just one day in advance and that crowd management was the state’s responsibility. He said the gathering had been peaceful until the police intervened, clarifying that Mathiyazhagan, the official organiser, had already been arrested, while his clients were not responsible for the incident.
The Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran, representing the state, presented a contrasting account. He said 11 conditions had been imposed for the event, which was permitted between 3 pm and 7 pm. However, TVK’s social media announcement stated the event would begin at 12 noon, prompting crowds to assemble from the early morning hours.
Ravindran also highlighted the scale of police deployment, noting that 559 personnel were assigned for the TVK rally compared to 137 during AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palanisamy’s campaign at the same location on September 26, 2025.
