Congress delegation meets families of Karur stampede victims, terms tragedy ‘beyond imagination’
Karur (PTI): Congress general secretary K C Venugopal, along with senior party leaders, on Tuesday visited families of those who lost their lives in a stampede during an election rally of the actor-politician Vijay led TVK, describing the incident as “beyond imagination.”
Venugopal was accompanied by All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar, Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislative Party, Tamil Nadu Advocate Rajesh Kumar, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K Selvaperunthagai, and Karur MP Jothimani.
After meeting the bereaved families and the injured, Venugopal said, “The tragedy in Karur is beyond imagination. The families who have lost their loved ones are inconsolable.”
In a social media post, Venugopal shared images of the delegation’s visit and said, “Visited Karur along with Girish Chodankar, Selvaperunthagai, Rajesh Kumar, and Jothimani, other MPs and senior Congress leaders, to send the message to the victims that you are not alone—the whole country is with you in this difficult time.”
The stampede at a TVK rally in Karur on September 27 claimed 41 lives and injured over 60 others.
Speaking to reporters, Chodankar said, “The Congress delegation met the families who have lost their loved ones. They are inconsolable, and their grief is shared by all of Tamil Nadu and India.”
He added, “Our General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal personally distributed immediate relief cheques of Rs 2.5 lakh each to the families of the victims, amounting to a total of Rs 1.25 crore,” in a post on ‘X’.
“To the victims and their families—you are not alone. The entire nation stands with you in this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Tamil Nadu,” Chodankar said.
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Strictest action promised after students forced to remove sacred thread at Bengaluru CET exam centre
Bengaluru (PTI): Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner Jagadeesha G on Monday said the government has decided to take the “strictest possible action” against those responsible for allegedly forcing some students to remove their ‘janivara’ (sacred thread) before entering the venue of the CET exam last week.
He said a committee of senior officials constituted to inquire into the incident reported that, prima facie, it appears the students were “intentionally” made to remove the ‘janivara’.
The city police have already booked three staff members of a private college in Bengaluru for allegedly forcing some students to remove their ‘janivara’ before entering the venue of the Common Entrance Test (CET-2026) last week.
Similar incidents last year in Shivamogga and Bidar had triggered controversy, following which the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) issued clear directions not to force students to remove any religious identification or symbol during exams.
“Despite KEA taking measures such as appointing dress code officials and providing training on dos and don’ts to prevent such incidents from recurring after last year’s cases, there has been a dereliction of duty this time,” Jagadeesha told reporters here.
“To take strict action against those responsible, an FIR has been registered, and arrests have been made. An inquiry has been conducted by senior officials, and those responsible have been suspended,” he added.
Stating that the inquiry report has been submitted at the district level, he said it will be forwarded to the government.
Based on the findings, it has also been decided that KEA will not conduct CET exams at the institution where the incident occurred, he added.
“The strictest possible action is being taken by the district administration and the government,” he added.
The deputy commissioner had constituted a committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner to investigate the incident and submit a report within two days.
“Exams have been held at several centres across the state, and nowhere else has this issue occurred. If students were forced to remove ‘janivara’ at this centre, it appears that it was intentional. We have taken it seriously,” he said, adding that strict action has been recommended to ensure such incidents do not recur.
Noting that senior officials were appointed for the inquiry, the DC said that after a thorough investigation and verification—which included statements from students, the school principal, exam observers, CCTV footage, and documents—it prima facie appears that students were intentionally made to remove the ‘janivara’.
“We are recommending strict action. The government has also ordered a detailed police investigation, and an FIR has been registered in connection with the incident,” he added.
