Karur, Nov 1: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday conducted a detailed digital survey at the Velusamypuram ground in Karur, where a tragic stampede during actor Vijay’s political campaign claimed the lives of 41 people.The survey marks a key stage in the CBI’s probe, which officially began after the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the case from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the central agency. The SIT had formally handed over all related documents to the CBI team on October 17.
Following the takeover, the CBI registered a case against Karur West TVK secretary V.P. Mathiyazhagan, general secretary N. Anand, and state joint secretary C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar. Investigators have been examining the circumstances leading to the deadly crowd surge during the campaign event.
Sources said some members of the CBI team went on Deepavali leave on October 19, while Inspector Manoharan and two other officials stayed back in Karur to continue scrutinizing the evidence. The team analyzed key documents and compiled preliminary findings, which were submitted before the Karur Judicial Magistrate Court on October 22. The TVK’s legal team received a copy of the report on October 25.
The CBI team returned to Karur on Thursday and resumed full-fledged field investigation. Friday’s digital survey is expected to help the agency reconstruct the sequence of events and assess possible lapses in crowd management that led to the tragedy.
Officials said the investigation will continue in multiple phases, combining forensic analysis, digital mapping, and eyewitness testimonies to establish accountability in the incident that shocked Tamil Nadu and the political circles surrounding actor Vijay’s newly formed party, TVK.