Hema Malini to lead eight-member NDA delegation to look into Karur stampede

BJP, departing from the usual practice, has included MPs from its allies in the fact-finding committee, in an apparent messaging about the importance it attaches to its partners

New Delhi: Following the death of 41 people in a stampede during a rally of TVK founder Vijay at Karur in Tamil Nadu on Saturday, BJP President J P Nadda has formed a delegation of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs, led by Mathura MP and actor Hema Malini, to visit the town to probe the circumstances leading to the incident and submit a report.

In a departure from the usual practice, the BJP, which generally sends its own leaders to the sites of tragic incidents for an inquiry, this time has included MPs from its allies—Shiv Sena and Telugu Desam Party (TDP)— in the eight-member committee, in an apparent messaging about the importance it attaches to its partners.

Hema Malini, who is a Tamil, is the convener of the delegation, and its members include Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde and TDP's Putta Mahesh Kumar.

The other members are Arurag Thakur, Tejasvi Surya, Brij Lal, Aparajita Sarangi and Rekha Sharma, all from the BJP.

The death toll in the stampede went up to 41 on Monday, with a 60-year-old woman succumbing to her injuries at the hospital, officials said.

The victims include 18 women and 10 children.