CBI grills TVK chief Vijay for second day in Karur stampede investigation

New Delhi: The CBI started the second round of questioning of TVK chief and actor Vijay at the agency headquarters here on Monday in connection with the Karur stampede case, officials said.

The actor arrived at the agency headquarters on Lodhi Road in a fleet of luxury SUVs this morning, they said.

He is being questioned during the day by a team of officials led by a deputy superintendent rank officer drawn from the agency's anti-corruption, they said.

Vijay was earlier questioned at the CBI headquarters here on January 12 for more than six hours. He was asked to come again on January 13 last but the actor sought another date citing Pongal, they said.

The central probe agency acceded to the actor's request and gave him a date for Monday, they said.

Several questions related to decision-making about the rally, reasons for his delay, continuation of speech, his knowledge about the ongoing chaos, turnout and mismanagement of the crowd were put forth to him, they said.

The call on attributing the role of individuals in the chargesheet will be taken only after a thorough analysis of the statements of the actor, senior political officials of his party, police and district administration officials involved in the process of giving clearance and managing the rally said.

The federal agency took over the case from an SIT following a Supreme Court order and has been gathering evidence related to the September 27 stampede, which claimed 41 lives and left more than 60 injured in Tamil Nadu's Karur.

In October last year, the apex court had asked the CBI director to appoint a senior officer to take over the investigation and also constituted a supervisory committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Ajay Rastogi to monitor the agency's investigation.

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

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

"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," the bench said.