TN Electricity Board's Bold Claim On Karur Stampede: 'TVK Wanted Lights Off for Vijay's Rally'

Karur: The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) chief engineer has made a bold claim, leading to a new twist in the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's (TVK) Karur rally stampede, alleging that the party’s west unit secretary had requested a power cut when party chief Vijay would be speaking at the rally.This statement comes after TVK chief, the actor-turned-politician Vijay, alleged the Karur stampede was a ‘political conspiracy’ and approached the Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench seeking an independent or CBI investigation into the matter.Refuting claims that the power supply during Vijay’s rally was disrupted, the TNEB chief engineer stated that the party’s west secretary had instead sent a letter to TNEB on September 26 requesting a power cut during Vijay’s speech.The

Chief Engineer informed that TVK’s request was dismissed on the very same day it was made.According to TOI, the TNEB chief engineer said that it’s clear from all the images that the lights during the rally were on. "The generators and focus lights set up by the organisers got switched off due to the crowd. TVK’s west secretary sent a letter on September 26 requesting a power cut when Vijay spoke at the rally, but it was rejected immediately."

TVK Chief Vijay Alleges DMK's Conspiracy Behind Karur Stampede

TVK has filed a writ petition in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, pleading for the transfer of the probe into the Karur stampede from the State police to the CBI.In the writ petition, the TVK party alleged that Saturday's "incident was solely motivated by the DMK and its functionaries.""A petition has been filed before the High Court of Madras, Madurai Bench, seeking a transfer of the case from the Town Police Station of Karur to the Central Investigation Team for a probe into the entire occurrence," Arivazhagan, the advocate for TVK, told reporters."It was contended (in the petition) that the incident was solely motivated by the political party DMK and its functionaries. We have made various allegations, and we have enclosed several photos and other relevant documents. The matter will be taken up on Friday, October 3," he added.

Karur Stampede Claims 41 Lives, CM Stalin Says This Tragedy Should'Ve Never Happened

Earlier today, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin warned against spreading rumours on social media regarding the stampede in Karur. The stampede left at least 41 people dead, including 18 women and 10 children."Do not spread defamation and rumours on social media regarding the tragedy that occurred in Karur. Everyone must behave responsibly," Stalin said in a video message posted on his X handle.Meanwhile, TVK chief Vijay held a video conference with senior leaders from his Pattinapakkam penthouse to discuss the next steps following the Karur stampede.Among the deceased are 18 women, 13 men, five young girls, and five young boys, bringing the total to 41. So far, 34 victims are from the Karur district, two each from the Erode, Tiruppur, and Dindigul districts, and one from the Salem district.A day earlier, Vijay announced that he would provide financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh to the bereaved families and Rs 2 lakh to the injured in the unfortunate stampede that took place in Tamil Nadu's Karur during his rally.Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced that the families of the 39 people who died in the Karur stampede would receive two lakh rupees each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.PM Modi also announced an amount of Rs 50,000 each for the people injured in the tragic incident.