Karur stampede: Supreme Court panel to begin on-site inspection on 1 December

New Delhi: A Supreme Court-appointed panel supervising the Central Bureau of Investigation's probe into the Karur stampede in Tamil Nadu will begin on-site inspections on 1 December, as per reports. The committee, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi, is expected to spend three days at the location of the incident and has prepared a checklist for its review.

According to sources, the panel plans to scrutinise every area at the site, mapping the sequence of events that led to the deadly stampede during actor-turned-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally. The tragedy, which occurred on 12 October, claimed 41 lives and injured more than 60 people.

Ahead of the visit, the panel has prepared a series of questions for the Karur district administration. These include inquiries regarding the nature of the permissions granted for the political rally, the adequacy of crowd control measures, and the administration's minute-by-minute understanding of how the stampede developed.

The panel will also seek explanations on whether established protocols were followed, what safety assessments were carried out, and how emergency response mechanisms were activated once the crowd surge began.

What stance has the panel taken regarding the investigation?

The committee has informed the CBI that "no external influence will be accepted in the probe."

"Justice for victims is the core objective," the panel added.

The panel held a meeting last week with CBI officers. The CBI had also submitted the first status report of the investigation to the panel, outlining the line of inquiry and its timeline. Sources indicated that the panel intends to obtain information from the local administration and government employees who were present at the site during the incident.

How did the Supreme Court respond to the tragedy?

The Supreme Court issued the order for a CBI investigation on 12 October, alongside the decision to form the supervisory committee. The bench criticised the handling of the case by the Madras High Court, stating that the scale of the tragedy required robust scrutiny with national implications.

Who comprises the committee?

The committee is chaired by Justice Rastogi and includes two senior officers: Sumit Saran, currently on deputation with the BSF, and Sonal V Mishra, IG, Provisioning, CRPF, New Delhi. The team has already initiated preliminary groundwork ahead of the on-site inspections.