CBI summons ex-minister Senthil Balaji in Karur stampede case; to appear on March 17

Chennai, March 10 (IANS) Former Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji will appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on March 17 in connection with the probe into the Karur stampede that claimed several lives during a political rally last year.

The CBI is investigating the incident that occurred on September 27 at Veluchamipuram in Karur district during an election campaign rally addressed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay.

The event turned chaotic when a massive crowd gathered at the venue, triggering a stampede in which 41 people lost their lives and several others were injured.

The investigation agency has been questioning several individuals associated with the event as part of its ongoing probe.

Earlier, a number of TVK leaders had appeared before the CBI in New Delhi to assist with the investigation. Those questioned include TVK general secretary N. Anand, election campaign management general secretary Adhav Arjun, joint general secretary C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, and Karur district secretary Mathiyazhagan.

Meanwhile, the CBI had also issued a summons to TVK chief Vijay, asking him to appear before investigators on Tuesday (March 10) in New Delhi.

However, Vijay informed the agency on Monday that he would not be able to travel to the capital on the scheduled date.

In his communication to the CBI, he stated that he would be willing to cooperate fully with the investigation if the agency issued a fresh summons after about 10 days, preferably asking him to appear in Chennai instead of New Delhi.

Taking Vijay's request into consideration, the CBI granted him temporary relief from appearing on Tuesday and is expected to issue a fresh summons at a later date.

In a related development, the agency has now summoned former minister Senthil Balaji to appear for questioning in connection with the same case.

Confirming the development, Balaji said he had received the CBI summons and would cooperate with the investigation.

In a post on the social media platform X, Balaji noted that conflicting reports about the summons had appeared in some sections of the media.

Clarifying his position, he wrote that he would appear before the CBI on March 17 as directed.

"Regarding the Karur tragedy, the CBI has issued a summons and some contradictory information has appeared in certain media reports. As per the summons sent by the CBI, I will appear in person on March 17 to answer their questions and provide appropriate explanations," he said.

The CBI probe into the Karur stampede is continuing as investigators seek to determine the circumstances that led to the deadly incident.

--IANS