Chennai, Sep 28 (IANS) Former Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai, on Sunday, demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the Karur rally stampede that killed 40 people, alleging serious lapses by the state police and local administration.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the affected families, Annamalai said that the tragedy could have been averted with better planning and security deployment.

“It is not (TVK Chief) Vijay’s fault. It is for the state police and intelligence to anticipate the crowd and deploy forces adequately. Why was permission given for a seven-hour event? Two hours would have been enough. The state government wants a one-man commission led by a former judge handpicked by the Chief Minister — how can that be fair?” he asked.

Annamalai said that the venue was unsuitable for a large gathering, with limited capacity and narrow exits.

“The place cannot hold even 5,000 people. The state police claim 500 personnel were deployed, but on the ground there were fewer than 100. The local administration failed miserably. This (DMK) government must own the total failure of intelligence and manpower deployment,” he added.

On behalf of the Karur BJP unit, Annamalai announced Rs 1 lakh compensation for each victim’s family.

He also urged actor-turned-politician Vijay and his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to be more responsible in planning future public meetings.

“Weekend rallies attract families with children. Why did children die? The design of this people’s meet was faulty. Vijay must be present on the ground and face the consequences,” Annamalai said.

Responding to allegations of poor security, Tamil Nadu Additional Director General of Police (law and order), S. Davidson Devasirvatham, said the tragedy was not due to an “intelligence failure”.

He added that the police had rejected TVK’s initial venue proposals due to safety concerns and finally approved the site after previous events with up to 15,000 people had taken place there peacefully.

“There were adequate streetlights and security arrangements. Some crowd management conditions were violated, and a case has been registered. The investigation will reveal responsibility,” the ADGP told reporters.

The stampede occurred on Saturday evening after hours of waiting for Vijay’s arrival, triggering panic and chaos among thousands of supporters.

Several fainted in the heat and rush, and many were crushed in the surge.

Families of the victims have demanded accountability and stronger crowd safety measures for future political events.

–IANS

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