AIADMK general secretary and leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Wednesday questioned the statement given by Chief Minister MK Stalin in the special session of the Assembly on the Karur stampede incident, saying the DMK government failed to take precautionary measures. Questioning Stalin’s claim of 606 police officers being on duty, Palaniswami said police sources revealed that only 500 policemen were deployed.
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Palaniswami, while addressing the Tamil Nadu Assembly, said that the Chief Minister had said that more than 600 policemen were deployed, but according to police sources, only 500 policemen were actually on duty. There is a clear difference between the Chief Minister’s statement and the police statement. The government failed to take precautionary measures in the Karur stampede deaths. He further said that around 41 people lost their lives in the mob lynching incident in Karur. This is a very sad and painful incident. On behalf of AIADMK, I express my deepest condolences.
The AIADMK general secretary further said that the state government was aware of the huge crowd gathering at the public meeting of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay. He further said that the Karur tragedy could have been avoided if adequate security arrangements had been made in advance. Palaniswami said TVK leaders have already held public relations meetings in four districts. The government and police are well aware of the huge crowds that gather at their programs in those areas. Based on this, if adequate security arrangements had been made in Karur, this disaster could have been avoided.
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He said that when AIADMK sought permission to hold the meeting in Veluchamipuram, the reply it received was that it was a busy area and hence not suitable. But now, people believe that allotting the same space to TVK was a deliberate move motivated by political interests. Responding to this, Chief Minister Stalin said Palaniswami’s statements appeared to be an attempt to include TVK in the opposition alliance.