CBI Grills Vijay For 7 Hours In Karur Stampede Case

Sources said Vijay would be summoned again as certain queries required further clarification. The agency had initially asked him to appear again on Tuesday, but the actor sought another date citing the Pongal festival. The CBI has agreed to issue a fresh date for questioning.

Vijay arrived at the heavily barricaded CBI headquarters at 11.29 am and, after completing formalities, was questioned by a team from the agency’s anti-corruption unit, which is probing the September 27 stampede that also left over 60 people injured. He left the office at around 6.15 pm, officials said.

The CBI also questioned former Tamil Nadu Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) S. Davidson Devasirvatham in connection with the case on Monday.

Anticipating a large turnout of the actor-politician’s supporters, multiple units of Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces were deployed around the CBI office to prevent any protests. A small group of fans, however, managed to enter the area along with media personnel to catch a glimpse of Vijay.

Vijay had arrived in Delhi on a chartered flight from Chennai along with some TVK colleagues, including Aadhav Arjuna, party sources said. The CBI has earlier questioned several TVK office-bearers in the case.

The agency took over the probe from a Special Investigation Team following a Supreme Court order. In October last year, the apex court directed the CBI Director to appoint a senior officer to lead the investigation and constituted a three-member supervisory committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Ajay Rastogi to monitor the probe.

A bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and N.V. Anjaria had observed that the stampede had wide ramifications and left a deep impact on public consciousness. Stressing the need to uphold the fundamental rights of the victims’ families, the court said restoring public faith in the criminal justice system required an investigation that was completely impartial, independent, and unbiased.