On 27th of September 2025, a political rally in Karur district (Tamil Nadu), being held by TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) party leader and south-actor Thalapathy Vijay, turned into a tragedy. The rally was meant for a public address and crowd gathered in much more number than expected which resulted in delays, confusions and a deadly crowd rush. The stampede left 41 people dead and around 80 injured. List of victims also includes women and children, who had waited for hours for the rally. The hopes they had come with turned into chaos, panic and state-level sorrow.
Factors which contributed in panic-
- Arrival of actor-politician Viay was delayed by nearly six-seven hours. As many of those in crowd had arrived at early hours and assembled at the place, further delay rose tensions and anxieties.
- As soon as Vijay’s vehicle arrived, people rushed to get a view. Uncontrolled and outnumbering crowd rush eventually resulted in panic and chaos.
- Due to the delay, people had to wait for longer in heat due to which, many in the crowd were exhausted and dehydrated.
- The space allotted was not sufficient and rather too small for the number of people, that showed up. A much larger number than expected lead to the insufficiency of crowd-control measures.
- Many people climbed trees and sheds to get a better view. And when these collapsed because of excessive weight, they didn’t just caused injuries to underneath people but also triggered panic.
Response from the officials and further proceedings –
After the outrage, its statewide rallies were suspended by TVK party. Compensation amount of rupees 20 lakh was announced by TVK party to the families of people who died and rupees 2 lakh for those who got injured. TVK district secretaries were taken into the custody and investigation is going on. The Madras High court has ordered to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the leadership of IPS officer Asra Garg. The SIT will examine the causes and find out what went wrong. Although the High Court had rejected pleas regarding the CBI investigation stating SIT of being the correct agency, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear plea on demand for a CBI investigation.
The site in Veluswamypuram was cleared of debris and other rally remnants. After eleven days of stampede, local shops in the area were reopened on 8th of October. Shop owners have demanded compensation from TVK and other responsible parties for the damage. Authorities were urged by mental health professionals for providing counselling to children and families affected by trauma due to the stampede.
What are then questions raised by this incident?
Safety measures in large gatherings: When people gather in such a large number of thousands, a proper and efficient crowd-control staff should be there to have a watch out for any possibility of panic creating situation.
Suitability and planning of venue: The permission might have considered the numbers but questions arise regarding emergency infrastructure, buffer zones, entry0exit points and quick medical help.
Accountability: No accountability has been taken so far. Investigation is underway and the accountability lies with anyone from organizers, those issuing permissions, crowd control board, responsible security and arrival delay.
Trust of people: While the families of victims and injured are being given compensation, people want real answers to be presented. Compensation can not be a silencing player to the anger, grief and pain of the citizens.
Legal actions and reforms: Ignorance from legal authorities towards the enforcement of safety norms will result in repeated tragedies. Strictness needs to be applied to abide by the law.
Latest updates on the case-
- TVK urged that the stampede was a pre-planned conspiracy by certain miscreants to create trouble at rally. After the judgment of Madras High Court, TVK moved to Supreme court asking for an independent investigation into the tragedy. Madras High court on 3rd of October directing the formation of SIT (Special Investigation Team), made sharp criticism of Vijay and TVK party alleging them of fleeing the scene and that they did not make any expression of responsibility after the tragedy. The SRT was directed to be composed of Tamil Nadu Police and the order refrained bringing of any central agency.
- TVK also argued that the investigation by SIT would be perceived as impartial and not independent due to sole composition of Tamil Nadu Police. It also alleged the High Court of violating fair procedure as the remarks of “fleeing” and “failure to express remorse” were made without giving them any chance to respond.
- S. Prabhakaran, another petitioner, who claimed that he lost his fiancee and sister in the stampede, also blamed Police of unprovoked lathicharge. He stated about the presence of some anti-social elements in crowd, throwing object to create confusion. Paneerselvam Pitchaimuthu, one of the victim’s kin have also demanded CBI probe.
The judgement in the case will not be just about negligence but also about asking the authorities to take accountability and taking every public gathering with seriousness that it deserves.
