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The Madurai Bench of the High Court will today hear the case related to the Karur stampede incident, which claimed the lives of at least 41 people and over 100 were injured.
Petitions seeking anticipatory bail filed by TVK General Secretary Anand and Nirmal Kumar will also come up for hearing before the Bench. The stampede occured during a public rally of TVK chief and actor Vijay in Tamil Nadu's Karur on September 27, when a massive crowd turned chaotic, triggering panic and a stampede. Several attendees fainted and were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. Sources said that overcrowding at the venue led to the tragedy. Meanwhile, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay has suspended all political rallies for the next two weeks, putting a pause on his statewide election campaign. Vijay's party has announced relief of Rs 20 lakh for the kin of the deceased. Apart from TVK, the Congress party has also earlier announced that they have given Rs 1.25 crore cumulatively to the affected families. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for them, while the injured would receive Rs 50,000. The TVK posted about the temporary suspension of their rallies on social media, expressing sorrow over the incident. "In this situation where we are in pain and sorrow over the loss of our loved ones, the public meeting program of our party leader for the next two weeks is being temporarily postponed. We inform you with the approval of our party leader that new details regarding this public meeting will be announced later," the party posted on X. Earlier, while addressing a press conference in Karur, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLA and the party's district secretary V Senthilbalaji mentioned that the "situation should not be politicised". "I do not wish to view this politically. Of the 41 victims, 39 were from Karur. Without blaming anyone, we must ensure that such incidents do not occur in the coming days. This situation should not be politicised. Whatever party's event it may be in the future, we must join together and take the necessary steps to prevent such incidents," the minister said. He further mentioned that the political party which is holding the rally is ultimately responsible for estimating how many people will gather at the event. (ANI)
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