What should have been a triumphant campaign stop for superstar-turned-politician Vijay in this historical town in western Tamil Nadu ended in chaos as the stampede killed innocent people.
Politics erupted after actor-politician Vijay’s party TVK alleged a DMK conspiracy behind the stampede in Karur that left 40 people dead and nearly 100 injured on Saturday. What should have been a triumphant campaign stop for superstar-turned-politician Vijay in this historical town in western Tamil Nadu ended in chaos as the stampede killed innocent people. The tragedy triggered reactions with opposition political parties criticising the Tamil Nadu government and police for their negligence and crowd mismanagement.
Politics Over Karur Rally Stampede That Killed At Least 40: Who Said What?
BJP leader K Annamalai strongly criticised the Tamil Nadu government and police for their negligence. Annamalai called the incident “deeply shocking” and “highly condemnable.”
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In a post on X on Saturday, K Annamalai wrote, “In Karur, the news that approximately forty people, including children, lost their lives due to a stampede at a gathering attended by Thaveka leader Mr Vijay is deeply shocking and distressing. Many others have been injured and admitted to hospitals. I urge the Tamil Nadu government to ensure proper treatment for all those affected. I express my deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. For a political party’s gathering, it is the responsibility of the police to accurately estimate the number of attendees, select an appropriate venue accordingly, and deploy an adequate number of police personnel to ensure the safety of the public attending the event.”
“There are also reports that electricity was disrupted during Mr. Vijay’s gathering. The Tamil Nadu government and the police acting with such negligence is highly condemnable,” he added.
He also alleged that the government failed to provide adequate security for an opposition event and demanded a full investigation into the incident, and strict action if lapses in police arrangements or power supply are confirmed.
“The DMK government, which deploys the entire district police force to provide security for gatherings organized by DMK members, has made it a habit to fail in providing adequate security arrangements for events held by opposition parties. I strongly urge the DMK government to immediately provide appropriate compensation to the families of those who lost their lives, conduct a thorough investigation into whether this accident occurred due to inadequate security arrangements and the power disruption, and take strict action based on the findings,” the post read.
Similarly, accusing the DMK government of discrimination in providing adequate security for the Opposition parties’ public events, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami on Sunday said that the administration’s failure to deploy adequate security personnel led to the stampede during the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)’s rally in Karur.
“Yesterday, 39 people lost their lives. We were informed that the stampede occurred because of an electric current. Such a campaign was previously held in 4 districts, and the police should have provided adequate security. I dont think that was done,” Palaniswami told reporters after visiting the injured in the stampede.
“Even in our AIADMK meeting, no proper security was provided. In DMK meetings, thousands of police are deployed for security. Police should not be biased in favour of the ruling party over opposition parties in providing security. If full security had been given, such a stampede would not have happened,” he added.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday expressed his condolences over the loss of lives in the Karur stampede. Speaking in Tumakuru, he said that it is unfortunate that such a tragedy has happened during a political rally in the country.
“More security should have been provided for such programs. I do not know how the organizers and security were organized for that program, and I cannot comment on it…It is not right for me to comment without knowing about that incident. He said that more security has been taken for the program to be held in Tumkur for the Tumkur Dasara program,” Parameshwara said.
Earlier, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed deep sorrow over the Karur stampede and said such tragedies highlight flaws in the country’s crowd management. Tharoor said it is heartbreaking to see such tragedies happen repeatedly and urged both the central and state governments to create strict rules and safety protocols for large gatherings to prevent future incidents.
Speaking to the reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor said, “… Its a very tragic and painful situation. Something is wrong in our country with crowd management. Every year, there seems to be an incident. We remember Bengaluru. It is very heartbreaking when we hear children being killed in these stampedes… For me, the argument is about what can we do as a systematic policy nationally to protect ordinary people. People go in a spirit to listen to a politician who happens to be a movie star, or to see cricketers, who are also stars for us, the basic thing should be that there should be certain rules, standards, and protocols in place…”
“At the same time I earnestly appeal to the central government and all state governments to agree on a set of very strict procedures governing all large crowds in any circumstances so that we do not needlessly suffer the grief and anguish of loved ones being lost in these terrible stampedes,” Tharoor added.
Tamil Nadu BJP leader Vinoj P Selvam criticised Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay for not visiting Karur to condole bereaved families and pay a visit to the injured after the recent stampede. In a strongly worded post on X, Selvam claimed that all other political party leaders or representatives except Vijay had gone to Karur overnight, stating that the TVK chief acted as if there was “no connection” between him and the affected people.
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“Except for @TVKVijayHQ, all other political party leaders or representatives have gone to Karur overnight and consoled the affected people. But actor Vijay, who travelled from Karur to Trichy by car, then from there to Chennai by flight, and then to Panaiyur by car, is staying quietly at home as if there is no connection at all between him and the affected people,” the post read.
Raising questions over the party chief’s accountability, Selvam questioned how such a person could be accepted as the leader of the vibrant youth of the Tamil community.
“Have you accepted such a person as the leader of the vibrant youth of the Tamil community!! Shame!!” the post further read.
BJP Mahila Morcha National President Vanathi Srinivasan emphasised that the focus should be on ensuring accountability rather than assigning blame in the Karur stampede.
Speaking to the reporters, Srinivasan said, “At present, we don’t want to play the blame game. The government is responsible for providing adequate protection and ensuring an orderly public meeting for whoever is organising it. Prima facie, it is the dharmic responsibility of the state government.”
Further, the Mahila Morcha National President said, “This is not the first incident; on several occassions, even the BJP has faced it, that they did not provide a proper venue and proper security arrangements. Even for a protest, the democratic right is being denied by the DMK government… We stand with the statement made by our State President…”
Congress leader Pramod Tiwari expressed condolences on the Karur stampede incident and criticised the lack of security arrangements at the event.
“It is a very sad and unfortunate incident. I express my heartfelt condolences. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. The way the event’s main organiser, Vijay, had taken permission for a certain number of people, three times that crowd gathered. No arrangements were made. I would like to thank the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for announcing a compensation of 10 lakh…” he said.
Actor Vijay To Move Court, Suspects Conspiracy, Wants CBI To Probe Stampede
Vijay’s party TVK has alleged a DMK conspiracy behind the stampede at yesterday’s rally in Karur that left 40 people dead and nearly 100 injured. According to reports, the party has approached the Madras High Court with a petition that urges the court to set up a Special Investigation Team or to transfer the case to the central agency CBI. Arivazhagan trashed the state government’s contentions that safety guidelines were violated at the Karur rally.
PM Modi, TN CM Stalin Announce Financial Aid
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the families of the 39 people who died in the Karur stampede would receive Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
PM Modi also announced an amount of Rs 50,000 each for the people injured in the tragic incident.
Sharing an X post, PMO said, “PM Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF to be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the unfortunate incident at a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had also announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the victims and Rs 1 lakh to those undergoing treatment. He has also ordered an enquiry into the incident.
(With inputs from ANI)