Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin appointed retired Madras High Court judge Justice Aruna Jagadeesan to head a Commission of Inquiry into the stampede that occurred during actor-politician Vijay’s rally in Karur on Saturday, leaving at least 39 dead.
Justice Jagadeesan, who served as a judge of the Madras High Court from 2009 until her retirement in 2015, is no stranger to high-profile probes in the state.
Visuals from the event showed Vijay atop a campaign vehicle addressing supporters, tossing water bottles into the crowd to help those fainting and urging police to restore order as the situation spiralled.
The Commission, led by Justice Jagadeesan, is expected to probe both the immediate circumstances of the tragedy and the administrative lapses
that allowed the situation to turn fatal.
Who Is Justice Jagadeesan?
Over her career, she has handled some politically sensitive matters.
In 2015, she was part of a bench that cleared Chennai Police of allegations of a staged encounter in Velachery, in which five men suspected of bank robbery were killed.
Justice Jagadeesan has also examined cases linked to the wealth of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her close aides.
She was tasked with investigating the 2018 anti-Sterlite protests in Tuticorin, where 13 people were killed in police firing. Her commission later recommended action against 17 police officials, including senior IPS officers.
Her appointment comes amid widespread shock over Saturday’s tragedy in Karur.
Tamil Nadu Director General of Police G Venkataraman said organisers had projected a turnout of 10,000, but nearly 27,000 people converged on the 1.2 lakh sq ft venue. Around 500 police personnel had been deployed, he said.
Venkataraman noted that the crowd began swelling much earlier than expected after Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), announced on social media that the actor would arrive at 12 noon, though permission for the event was granted between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m.
“People began gathering from 11 a.m., but Vijay only arrived at 7:40 p.m. By then, many had waited all day without food or water under the hot sun,” he said, adding it was “too early” to pinpoint what triggered the deadly stampede.
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