According to officials, the CBI sent the March 10th notice after going over earlier statements and the proof they’d found. The organisation is going to send Vijay a new notice, after his formal asking for more time. Based on what they’ve got so far, investigators need some more detail.
The CBI also wanted Karur MLA V Senthil Balaji to be questioned, but his office didn’t take the notice, reports say. The agency sent the notice by email and hasn’t had an answer yet. Nothing has been decided about what happens with Balaji next.
Vijay, through his lawyers, has asked the CBI to put off his appearance for 15 days, as he has a lot of election work and needs to campaign. He’s also asked for the questioning to take place at the CBI office in Chennai – or another place in Tamil Nadu – instead of at HQ in Delhi.
People inside the party say Vijay is to do candidate interviews starting March 10th at his party’s offices, and that he must stick to a busy campaign programme. His application also said he has personal legal issues, like family court cases still going on, as reasons for asking for the delay.
Karur stampede case from a state SIT
The CBI took over the Karur stampede case from a state SIT following a court instruction and has been putting together what happened since. Vijay was questioned before, in January, on two days, and investigators gave him a full booklet with over 90 questions in order.
Sources state the organisation has looked at statements from senior police and other officials, and has got material that means further questioning is needed. Investigators are now deciding on new dates and if they’ll give Vijay his request for a local place.
The rally in Karur on September 27th resulted in 41 deaths and more than 60 injuries, when a large number of people pushed forward during the event. TVK and its leader claim that not enough police were there and that arrangements weren’t good enough for the tragedy.
They say they stopped the speech the moment the stampede began.
Tamil Nadu police officers who have given evidence to investigators gave a different version, saying the party hadn’t told the administration properly how many people were likely to turn up. Officers said the crowd got much bigger, which they say could have caused the stampede. These differences are still at the centre of the investigation.
Officials have said that the CBI is thinking about Vijay’s request and will send out new dates for a notice soon. If the agency agrees to a Tamil Nadu venue, questioning could be put in the diary so it doesn’t clash with the party’s campaign programme. What happens could change both the legal time-plan and politics in the area.
The notice and the request for a delay add another level to an investigation with legal, administrative, and political parts. Investigators will try to get different people’s versions of events to match, while keeping to the process time-scale needed for a high-profile inquiry into a deadly public event.
