- By Soumyaroop Mukherjee
- Sun, 28 Sep 2025 05:18 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Karur Stampede: Eyewitnesses who were present at the political rally of Tamilaga Vettri Kazagham (TVK) have alleged that mismanagement by the authorities, along with a host of problems, caused the stampede, which led to the death of 39 people and injury of more than 100 people. The TVK leader, Vijay, had called for a rally where he himself arrived 7 hours late.
By the time he arrived, waves of people had come to the venue. The total capacity of the venue, which was set to function at 10,000, exceeded 27,000. During the chaos, many people climbed onto the trees and electric poles. As a result, the police were forced to close the electricity supply, which made the entire area dark.
“When Vijay arrived, people began shoving and even threw slippers at his campaign bus, hoping to get his attention,” an eyewitness quoted by NDTV recounted. “Some who had climbed poles and trees fell into nearby drains and got trapped. Others fainted due to the suffocating crowd. Although ambulances were called, they couldn't reach the injured because of the dense gathering,” the eyewitness said.
Another eyewitness remarked that the police handled the situation very casually, with the officials resorting to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd. He further said, "If Vijay had just waved his hands while on his way, the crowd would not have followed him. People were screaming for help. Vijay ignored their cries.”
The TVK leader had earlier expressed his grief towards the entire situation on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “I extend my deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of my dear brothers and sisters who lost their lives in Karur. I pray for the swift recovery of those receiving treatment in the hospital.”
Meanwhile, the ruling DMK government has slammed the mismanagement of the TVK, which has caused this chaos.
"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," said BJP Tamil Nadu spokesperson Annamalai.