Footwear and other belongings of people, who attended the rally of actor and Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay, lie on a road in the aftermath of a stampede during the rally, in Karur district, Tamil Nadu, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025.
Credit: PTI Photo
The September 27 tragedy that claimed the lives of at least 40 people, more women and children than men, in Karur, Tamil Nadu, bore the hallmarks of everything that could go wrong at a political rally — poor timing, an overwhelming crowd, violation of crowd control protocols, neglect of caution and warnings, failure of management and organisation, and a complete lack of preparedness. The toll is likely to rise. Popular Tamil actor Vijay, who was campaigning for his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), has drawn large crowds to his meetings. Political and religious congregations, as well as entertainment events, are often prone to stampedes, and the Karur tragedy was a textbook case.
The meeting venue was too small to accommodate the large number of people who came to attend it. Over 25,000 people reportedly attended the meeting, despite permission being granted for only 10,000. Vijay’s late arrival contributed significantly to the events, as the crowd continued to swell, with many attendees becoming exhausted and fainting. Making people, including women and children, wait for hours under a punishing sun without food and water is both cruel and insensitive. Reports suggest that the stampede started when the crowd was forced to make way for the actor’s vehicle. An adequate number of police and security personnel were not present, allegedly because the size of the crowd had exceeded the estimated turnout. Ambulances struggled to reach the venue due to narrow and congested roads. The local hospital lacked the necessary facilities to treat the injured. All contributing factors must be investigated to provide a complete picture of the incident. A police investigation is underway, and the Tamil Nadu government has instituted a judicial enquiry under a former high court judge.
The primary responsibility for a stampede typically rests with the organisers of the event. The actor-politician and the managers of his party cannot escape that. In recent weeks, there were complaints about lapses and law-and-order issues in TVK rallies. The court had told both the party and the police to exercise better caution. Unfortunately, the tragedy is now being politicised with parties blaming each other, and even suggesting sabotage. Stampedes are often the result of a chain of events. Hopefully the investigations will clarify the causes of the Karur tragedy, and fix responsibility. Stampedes have become serial disasters in the country, and the lessons from them are not being learnt, and they keep occurring in city after city, and state after state.