'Suggested different venue': Tamil Nadu govt on Vijay's Karur rally stampede

41 people lost their lives in Karur stampede (Image: AFP)

The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday released video evidence and a detailed account of the sequence of events that led to the stampede at actor-politician Vijay’s Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Karur, where 41 people lost their lives.

Revenue Secretary P Amudha told reporters that while TVK had informed officials an attendance of 10,000 was expected, the government had anticipated nearly 20,000. In reality, the crowd exceeded 25,000, swelled further by supporters following Vijay’s campaign bus. The government, she said, had advised the organisers to select a different location, rejecting TVK’s choice of Karur Roundtana because of its proximity to a petrol bunk and sewage canal.

Despite the deployment of police personnel at the ratio of one officer for every twenty attendees, videos screened at the briefing showed widespread violations, including TVK cadres climbing onto rooftops in Namakkal and Karur, traffic violations, and fans dangerously chasing Vijay’s vehicle. Amudha clarified that power supply had not been suspended at the venue, contrary to rumours. Instead, the crowd surged towards the electricity generator enclosure, which led to a failure of focus lights.

The situation began deteriorating from 3 pm onwards as the gathering swelled. Many had assembled since morning, leading to dehydration and exhaustion. When Vijay’s vehicle finally reached the designated spot in Karur, the crowd surged forward to catch a glimpse of him. According to ADGP (Law and Order) S Davidson Devasirvatham, the police had asked Vijay to stop his vehicle fifty metres ahead of the stage to prevent further overcrowding, but the organisers did not comply. The resulting crush proved fatal.

Health Secretary P Senthilkumar said that postmortem procedures were carried out quickly to reduce the anxiety of bereaved families. He also noted that Vijay’s campaign in Madurai, Villupuram, Tiruchirappalli, Namakkal and Karur left behind a trail of accidents. Karur alone recorded 114 injuries from road mishaps, followed by 42 in Villupuram, 14 in Madurai and 12 in Tiruchirappalli. Earlier in the day, before the Karur rally, 34 people in Namakkal were hospitalised for heatstroke after gathering early for Vijay’s speech, with several fainting on the spot.

The government urged the public to refrain from spreading rumours or content that could incite violence. The briefing came only hours after Vijay released a video asserting that he had committed no wrongdoing in connection with the tragedy.

With inputs from PTI