Amid arrests of TVK workers, Anand moves HC seeking anticipatory bail

MADURAI: Amid arrests of TVK functionaries across the State, over the Karur stampede and related cases over spreading of false info, party general secretary N Anand (61) moved the Madurai bench of Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a case registered against organisers of the poll rally addressed by Vijay.

Citing the case filed by the Karur town police, Anand appealed before the court that he was a law-abiding citizen with no criminal antecedents, seeking relief from any arrest.

The allegations against me are false, baseless and intended to implicate him for political reasons, his lawyer mentioned in the petition.

Anand blamed the lack of adequate police protection as the reason behind the tragedy and claimed that organisers cannot be held liable. The petitioner and party members themselves took steps to regulate the crowd and even orally cautioned women and children to avoid the campaign venue, the petition said, adding that no prior warning or written intimation was given by police to the petitioner regarding possible issues.

On September 19, 2025 we submitted a representation to the Karur Superintendent of police to provide adequate police protection and permission to conduct rally in a broad and sufficient place to ensure public safety, he said in the petition adding that the SP did not allocate the place till September 25. At noon on the next day, the venue was allotted for the September 27 event, his lawyer argued.

As the crowd swelled, anti-social elements mingled with the crowd and created the chaos that led to the stampede, according to the petition. The petition also blamed the arrival of an ambulance without a patient into the crowd for the chaos.

Despite permission being sought for a limited gathering, an overwhelming number of people voluntarily assembled due to the popularity of the political movement. The sheer magnitude of the crowd was unforeseen, which was the sole cause of the tragic incident, the petition stated.

The petitioner stated that he is ready and willing to cooperate with the police during the investigation and to participate in the subsequent trial. The bail plea is listed for hearing on October 3.