CBI team arrives in Karur to probe deadly TVK rally stampede

A special CBI team, led by IPS officer Praveen Kumar, has arrived in Karur to investigate the tragic stampede at the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay’s rally on September 27, which claimed 41 lives. The team also includes Additional Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar and Deputy Superintendent of Police Ramakrishnan.

Police sources said that all documents related to the case previously held by the State Investigation Team (SIT) have now been handed over to the CBI. This follows a Supreme Court directive for a central investigation into the tragedy.

The apex court has also constituted a three-member committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi, to supervise the probe and ensure it is independent and impartial. Justice Rastogi will select two senior IPS officers from outside Tamil Nadu to assist the committee. The committee’s responsibilities include monitoring the investigation, reviewing evidence, issuing directions for further inquiry, and supervising the CBI to ensure a fair and thorough conclusion.

Meanwhile, two TVK functionaries, Karur West District Secretary Mathiyazhagan and town functionary Paunraj, were released from Central Prison in Trichy after the court refused to extend their judicial custody. They had been arrested in late September for organizing flags and flex banners for the rally and had previously been sent to 14-day judicial custody.

The Supreme Court’s intervention aims to bring transparency and accountability to the investigation into one of Tamil Nadu’s deadliest political rally tragedies.