Vijay’s delayed arrival at the rally venue led to stampede: Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin

Chennai: Political blame game on the stampede in Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam’s (TVK) rally in Karur killing 41 people echoed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday, with Chief Minister M K Stalin holding actor-politician Vijay accountable for the tragedy. He said Vijay's arrival in Karur at 7 pm on September 27, seven hours late from the announced time on public platforms i.e. 12 pm, was the main cause of the stampede.

Making a statement amid pandemonium caused by opposition members, Stalin, whose government is under fire after the incident, said the Karur district administration granted permission for the rally in Velusamypuram with 11 conditions after rejecting both locations suggested by TVK.

Though Stalin did not name Vijay directly and referred to him as the "leader of that party," the Chief Minister criticised the actor and TVK for inadequate arrangements for the meeting, including failure to provide drinking water and basic facilities.

Stalin also refuted claims of insufficient police protection, stating that 517 officers from Karur district, including 3 additional police superintendents, 5 deputy superintendents, 18 inspectors, 75 assistant inspectors, and armed police, were deployed. Additionally, 99 personnel from other districts were called in, exceeding the usual number for political rallies.

“Though the party sought permission for the meeting from 3 pm to 10 pm, the party announced on social media that the party leader (Vijay) would arrive at 12 pm. This caused people to gather early in the morning. However, the leader left Chennai at 8:40 am, reached Tiruchi at 9:25 am, and arrived in Karur only at 7 pm,” Stalin said.

“His delay caused huge crowds and congestion at the venue,” he added. Stalin mentioned that a roadshow conducted by Opposition Leader Edappadi K Palaniswami at the same venue went smoothly, as participants behaved well. Since many of Vijay’s fans followed his bus to the venue, police instructed organisers to stop the bus 50 meters from the designated location.

“The organisers insisted on proceeding to the original venue. The police tried contacting the organisers to stop the vehicle, but it moved about 30-35 meters, making the crowd uncontrollable on both sides. Several people fell and were trampled,” Stalin said.

Regarding allegations of rushed post-mortems, Stalin explained that due to inadequate refrigeration at Karur medical college hospital, the District Collector used his special powers to order autopsies that same night. The hospital staff began at 1:45 am on September 28 and finished at 1:10 pm the same day.

“The first victim affected by the crowd was admitted at 7:47 pm, with more than 200 people brought in later for treatment,” Stalin added.