CBI summons TVK president Vijay in Karur stampede case

New Delhi, Jan 6 (PTI) The CBI has issued a notice to TVK president Vijay to appear for questioning on January 12 at the agency headquarters here in connection with the Karur stampede case, officials said.

The CBI has questioned several office bearers of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in connection with the case, they said.

The agency has now decided to call Vijay in connection with the case, following which it may take a call on filing a charge sheet in the matter, they said.

The CBI took over the case from an SIT following a Supreme Court order, and the investigating agency has been gathering evidence relating to the stampede that occurred during a political meeting addressed by Vijay on September 27 in Karur, Tamil Nadu. The incident had left 41 dead and more than 60 injured.

The case was handed over to the CBI by the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the TVK for an independent probe.

In October, the apex court ordered the director of CBI to appoint a senior officer to take over the investigation. The court also set up a three-member supervisory committee headed by former apex court judge Ajay Rastogi to monitor the CBI investigation.

A bench, comprising Justices J K Maheshwari and N V Anjaria, said the September 27 stampede has left an imprint in the minds of citizens throughout the country.

It has wide ramifications with respect to the life of the citizens, and enforcing the fundamental rights of the families who lost their kith and kin is of utmost importance, the court had said.

Noting the political undertones of the case, the court said top police officers have made comments before the media "without having regard for the gravity of the incident", which may create a doubt in the minds of the citizenry regarding an impartial and fair investigation.

"The faith and trust of the general public in the process of investigation must be restored in the criminal justice system, and one way to instil such trust is by ensuring that the investigation in the present case is completely impartial, independent and unbiased.

"Looking to the fact that the issue involved certainly has a bearing on the fundamental rights of the citizens, the incident, which has shaken the national conscience, deserves fair and impartial investigation. There cannot be any doubt that fair investigation is the right of a citizen," the bench said. PTI ABS ABS MNK MNK