Karur stampede: No stone-pelting at Vijay's rally, TVK flouted rules, says Tamil Nadu top cop

"Our probe shows there was no stone pelting," Devasirvatham said at a press conference. 

Devasirvatham said the organisers had sought permission for a gathering of 12,000 people, adding that the police had deployed adequate personnel. However, Vijay arrived at venue only by 6 pm, and the crowd swelled rapidly, leading to the stampede, the Tamil Nadu top cop said. 

"There are a lot of youngsters who are not even willing to listen to anybody, even to the volunteers, the bouncers, whomever they bring them," he said. 

Death count at 40

Speaking at the same presser, Karur District Collector M Thangavel said the death count stands at 40, adding that the state government is doing its best to prevent further deaths in the incident. He said the government has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the kin of those who lost their lives in the Karur stampede.

Besides, Rs 1 lakh would be given to those who were injured in the incident, Thangavel said. 

Ex-HC judge inspect stampede site

Meanwhile, retired Madras High Court judge Aruna Jagadeesan, who has been appointed by the Tamil Nadu government to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident, visited the stampede site on Sunday. Speaking to the reporters, she said steps need to be taken to avoid such incidents in the future.

"The commission has been set up to address shortcomings. Incidents like this should not occur in the future, and the necessary remedial measures will be taken," news agency ANI quoted Jagadeesan as saying.

TVK moves High Court

The TVK on Sunday also moved to the Madras High Court, demanding a CBI or Special Investigation Team probe into the Karur stampede. A group of advocates led by TVK's advocates' wing president S Arivazhagan went to the residence of Justice M Dhandapani on Greenways road in Chennai and made a mention.

In the alternative, they requested the court to initiate suo motu proceedings into the incident (death of 40 people due to stampede). According to TVK party functionary Nirmal Kumar, the judge asked the advocates to file a petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.