People know who stood by them, who fled spot: DMK

CHENNAI: Former Minister and DMK Karur district secretary V Senthilbalaji on Friday (July 10) hit back at Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's remarks on the Karur stampede, saying that when people stood by the affected, the TVK chief chose to throw a few water bottles at the dying people before running off, not heeding to reporters' questions reminding him of the rising death count.

Senthilbalaji asked who had continued delivering a speech after merely throwing a few water bottles and asking for an ambulance, despite a large number of people collapsing in the crowd, instead of stepping in to rescue them.

He further alleged that, despite reporters telling at the Tiruchy airport that many people had died, the person concerned left on a private aircraft without visiting the injured. "The people of Karur know very well who that was," he said.

Explaining the events that followed the incident, Balaji said then Chief Minister MK Stalin and then Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin immediately took steps to ensure that those injured received the best possible medical treatment.

DMK deputy general secretary and Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi echoed similar words. She said she would refrain from commenting in detail on the Karur tragedy as the matter was under investigation, but added that people knew who stood by them, who helped them and who abandoned them during the incident.

"It is better to refrain from speaking about such incidents responsibly when an investigation is in progress. However, people know who stood with them, who extended help, and who left them to fend for themselves during the Karur tragedy," she said.