TVK Chief Vijay Gets Bomb Threat Day After Karur Stampede; Police, Sniffer Dogs Rushed To Chennai House

Tamilaga

Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay received a bomb threat on Sunday, September 28, a day after a stampede occurred at his political rally in Tamil Nadu's Karur. A bomb squad, along with sniffer dogs, arrived at Vijay's Neelankarai residence in the city of Chennai to conduct their searches, according to news agency PTI. Further probe is underway.Earlier today, Times Now reported that following the Karur stampede, which left 40 dead and dozens injured, Vijay's house was fortified and local police deployed additional security outside his residence. At least 15 personnel from the Neelankarai police station were stationed near his home on Sunday morning.

The beefed-up security comes amid heightened tensions following the tragedy, which sparked questions over safety arrangements at the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam president's political event. TVK alleged that the tragedy was not accidental but a result of a "conspiracy" and moved the Madras HC. However, Director General of Police G Venkataraman said the crowd swelled well beyond expectations due to the delayed arrival of the actor-politician.A Commission led by retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan has arrived in Karur to probe the stampede incident.Also Read: Vijay's House Fortified After Karur Stampede, 15-member Police Team Deployed For Actor's Security

Karur stampede: What led to the tragedy?

Many factors, including crowd swelling, contributed to the stampede that claimed 40 lives at actor-politician Vijay's rally, residents who witnessed the event said. Videos from the event showed a sea of people packed tightly together, with several attendees appearing distressed and gasping for air.At one point of time, the crowd swelled and became uncontrollable even as Vijay was addressing the gathering and a number of persons including party workers and a few children fainted and fell down. Several workers noticed the situation and raised an alarm and moments before the tragedy, Vijay was seen pausing his speech to distribute water bottles to those in the crowd and arranging for ambulances as reports of suffocation emerged.However, ambulances had a tough time passing through the heavily crowded thoroughfare to reach the spot. The fainted persons were rushed to nearby hospitals and some of them are still battling for their lives.