Chennai, Sep 29 (NationPress) Claiming a calculated conspiracy behind the tragic stampede in Tamil Nadu's Karur district that resulted in 41 fatalities during actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) rally, the party's General Secretary of Election Campaign Management, Aadhav Arjuna, has filed a petition with the Madras High Court requesting a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry.

In his legal filing, Arjuna has directly implicated former Minister V. Senthil Balaji, along with members of the ruling DMK and the state police, in orchestrating the lethal incident. He asserts that TVK rallies have faced systematic sabotage through administrative obstacles and intentional disruptions.

The petition outlines a pattern where permissions for meetings were often denied at preferred locations and instead granted in “restricted spaces” incapable of accommodating large crowds. Arjuna claims this issue was evident in Namakkal, Trichy, and Nagapattinam, where power was cut during events, police presence was inadequate, and efforts were made to incite panic.

He contends that the Karur disaster mirrored this pattern. “Just before Vijay commenced his speech, the electricity was cut, pushing attendees toward the backup generator and causing chaos,” Arjuna stated, adding that “anti-social elements” infiltrated the crowd, hurling slippers and stones at Vijay and the guests.

Furthermore, Arjuna highlighted what he termed as “suspicious preparedness” from state authorities—with hospitals on alert before victims arrived, post-mortems occurring at midnight, and ministers arriving at hospitals at remarkable speed. He argues this demonstrates “a resolve by the ruling DMK to undermine the rally at any cost.”

The petition insisted that the same government machinery that chose the venue should not be responsible for investigating the tragedy due to a clear conflict of interest. Arjuna urged the court to assign the investigation to the CBI to guarantee an unbiased inquiry and sought protection against any hindrance to him or TVK chief Vijay visiting Karur to meet grieving families.

However, sources indicated that the Madras High Court registry rejected the petition on procedural grounds, temporarily pausing his initiative. TVK leaders have suggested they will seek legal counsel on resubmitting the plea.

The call for a CBI investigation and direct accusations against Senthil Balaji have intensified the political confrontation surrounding the tragedy, even as the state government’s one-person judicial commission, led by retired High Court judge Aruna Jagadeesan, commences its proceedings.