‘Wanted to see Vijay at any cost’: Families in Tamil Nadu’s Emoor mourn 5 lives lost in Karur rally stampede

Karur rally stampede

Emoor, a small village about eight kilometres from Karur town in Tamil Nadu, is in deep mourning after a deadly stampede at TVK chief Vijay’s political rally claimed at least 41 lives. Five of the victims were from Emoor, including two from the same family.

K Sakthivel, who lost his wife and 14-year-old daughter, sat in grief. “I had already lost my elder daughter years ago; now my younger daughter and wife too are gone,” he was quoted by TOI as saying.

He added that both his wife and daughter were devoted fans of Vijay and insisted on attending the rally despite his pleas to return home due to the swelling crowd. “They told me they wanted to see Vijay anna at any cost. When I first heard that ten people had died, I tried calling them frantically, but I couldn’t reach them. Both lost their lives at different spots in the stampede,” he said.

P Selvaraj, another villager, lost his wife while his son, who had accompanied her, narrowly escaped. “Now there is no one to guide my two boys who had already dropped out of studies,” he said. Emoor has at least two other families grieving for loved ones lost in Saturday’s tragedy.

A couple from Upidamangalam lost their daughter and her fiancé, who were planning to marry in November. They had gone to the rally with her brother, who stayed outside to avoid the crowd.

“They asked my son to stay out, fearing the rush, and went inside. They planned to watch the meeting from a friend’s terrace. I made her the first graduate in my family, and now I’ve lost her,” TOI quoted S Malathi as saying. A mother and her two young daughters were also among the victims.

On Sunday, the site of the tragedy resembled a battleground. Slippers, flags, water bottles, pieces of clothing, and garbage were scattered everywhere. Branches of trees were broken, and nearby buildings showed signs of damage.

“Many tried to climb trees, and some even fell into ditches. The generator area was overcrowded and had to be shut down, plunging the floodlights into darkness,” said S Baskar, who runs a shop near the venue. “The least Vijay could have done was visit those struggling in hospital,” he was quoted by TOI as saying.