Actor-politician Vijay will appear again before the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday, in connection with the probe into the Karur stampede. The actor had appeared before the agency on January 12 and was questioned for over six hours.
The actor has reportedly departed on a flight to Delhi from Chennai and will appear again before sleuths for questioning at the CBI headquarters in the national capital. Though CBI had planned to continue questioning Vijay on January 13, the actor and leader of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) urged officials to defer it owing to Pongal celebrations and the release of his now-postponed film 'Jana Nayagan'.
Considering Vijay's request, the probe agency postponed the questioning. The agency later issued a summons for January 19 to Vijay. The CBI, which is probing the tragedy that claimed 41 lives following a Supreme Court order, interrogated the actor-politician for over six hours on January 12.
During the interrogation, the CBI reportedly asked Vijay to narrate the sequence of incidents as known to him and his perspective on what could have led to the stampede. The actor-politician was reportedly also asked about whether he expected such a huge turnout for the rally, and he was aware of the situation before he reached the venue.
According to reports, the TVK leader was also asked why he continued his speech despite noticing onlookers fainting during his speech. He was also questioned about his close to seven-hour delay in reaching the venue.
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Vijay reportedly told the investigators that he left Karur soon after the incident since he feared his presence could lead to chaos and further aggravate the situation. The CBI sleuths will now corroborate Vijay's statement with those of other TVK functionaries who appeared before the agency earlier.
The probe comes amid a legal battle over the release of his much-anticipated film 'Jana Nayagan'. Though the film's makers moved the Supreme Court against the Central Bureau of Film Certification and sought a release date for the film, the top court directed it to approach the Madras High Court for relief.
