Karur Stampede Live: Bomb Threat At Vijay’s Chennai Residence, CM Stalin Says Action After Report Findings

Chennai police on Monday received a call warning that a bomb had been placed at the ECR residence of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay in Neelankarai. Soon after, security personnel rushed to the spot and a bomb disposal unit was deployed. Experts are inspecting the house and surrounding areas, ANI reported.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had personally reached out to him over phone. He said Gandhi conveyed his concern about the Karur stampede and enquired about the steps taken to save those under treatment.

Just a day after 40 people lost their lives in the Karur rally stampede, TVK chief Vijay’s Neelankarai home in Chennai received a bomb threat. Police tightened security at the residence, deploying bomb squads to carry out thorough checks.

Tamil Nadu ADGP (Law and Order) S Davidson Devasirvatham said around 500 police personnel were deployed for actor-politician Vijay’s rally in Karur, where 40 people died in a stampede. Addressing the media with District Collector M Thangavel, he dismissed rumours of stone pelting. He added that TVK’s September 23 request to hold the meeting at the Lighthouse-Roundabout junction was turned down, citing it as a high-risk location where managing large crowds would have been difficult. (PTI)

According to a PTI report, when asked about the possible arrest of TVK chief Vijay, the Chief Minister said any decision would depend on the findings of the inquiry panel. He further noted that he was not inclined to make politically motivated comments.

Karur Stampede: Retired Madras High Court Justice Aruna Jagadeesan, who heads the inquiry commission, said the panel’s focus is to identify gaps and recommend measures to avoid similar tragedies. “The commission has been set up to address shortcomings. Incidents like this should not occur in the future, and the necessary remedial measures will be taken,” she stated.

Tamil Nadu Stampede: DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Sunday visited the Government Medical College in Karur to meet those injured in the recent stampede. After interacting with the victims, she underlined the need for political parties to strictly follow safety guidelines while organising rallies.

She said members of the DMK were extending their support to those affected. "The chief minister has ensured that the district missionary and the party missionary are here to support... Even if the prime minister or the chief minister comes for a political rally, the party has to follow certain conditions. There's no one above it..." Kanimozhi told reporters.

The MP also pointed out that a commission has been constituted by Chief Minister M K Stalin to look into the incident. "A one-woman commission has been appointed by the CM in this matter... Let her report come out..." she added.

BJP leader and party's former Tamil Nadu President K Annamalai has blamed the state government for failing to prevent the stampede. He alleged that there were hardly 100 cops at site. On Vijay, he said the actor-turned-politican must take responsibility and rectify the mistake in planning such mega rallies.  

Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai urged the state government to suspend the district collector and police chief. He said, "500 police were not deployed on the ground."

The toll in the stampede here rose to 40 after a man succumbed to injuries at the government hospital, a health official said on Sunday.

Retired High Court judge Aruna Jagadeesan, appointed by the state government for a detailed inquiry into the Karur stampede, arrives at the site of the stampede.

Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) president and MP G.K. Vasan said, "In the history of Tamil Nadu, we have not seen this kind of incident. Everybody wants to know from the government and the police why this happened, how it happened, how this lapse occurred, what formalities and guidelines were followed, and what were not followed. This should be clear in the probe so that incidents like this are the first and last. We want a safe meeting for all the parties, not only the ruling party, but also for the opposition party."

DMDK President Premalatha Vijayakanth said, "I asked the patients. They themselves said that the passage was narrow. It wasn't big enough for most people. Vijay arrived very late. Everyone had gathered there by 9 am, but Vijay arrived by 7 pm. It was sunny yesterday, and there was no water, no food, nothing. There are many reasons for this, and there was no security. Even the police didn't provide adequate protection. Even Vijay's party should take care of his fans who are coming just to see Vijay. What security is Vijay providing to people? This is wrong. This is a big example for Tamil Nadu and Vijay's party. This should not happen again. Yesterday was a black day for Tamil Nadu."

Paatali Makkal Katchi (PMK) chief Anbumani Ramadoss said, "It is very unfortunate that an incident happened in Karur, a stampede happened during the rally of actor Vijay. And till now, more than 40 people have died. I have come to visit the injured in the hospital. We are very saddened by this incident. It should have been avoided, and it could have been avoided. And right now I don't want to pin the blame on anybody, but everybody has to take the blame, right from the police, right from the political party and also the general public as well, who attended that meeting along with children and women. I believe this is a failure of police intelligence. They should have been more responsible and anticipated the crowd. They have given permission in a very narrow street. The movie culture in Tamil Nadu, I think, is something that we need to address."

Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O. Panneerselvam said, "Precautionary action taken by the government. My party wants a CBI inquiry."

Vice President CP Radhakrishan said, "It was an unfortunate incident, and so many young people lost their lives. I feel very sad about it. I humbly request people to control their emotions when they are in such a big crowd like this. Earlier, it happened in Bengaluru and now in Karur. It should not happen. People need to control their emotions."

Actor-politician Vijay’s party, TVK, has alleged a DMK conspiracy behind the stampede at yesterday’s rally. TVK’s lawyer, Arivazhagan, told NDTV that the party has filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking either the formation of a Special Investigation Team or transfer of the case to the CBI. He also dismissed the state government’s claims that safety guidelines were violated at the Karur rally.

Union Minister Dr L Murugan said, "We extend our deepest condolences to the families affected by the tragic incident in Karur. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin regarding the situation and assured him that the Centre is ready to provide all necessary assistance. He has also sought an explanation from the concerned officials."

BJP Mahila Morcha National President Vanathi 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. This is not the first incident; on several occasions, even the BJP has faced it, as 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..."

On Karur stampede, Congress MP from Karur, Jothimani said, "This a time of tragedy. We are completely devastated because this is a very small city and the society is very closely knitted. We live as a family. Such a tragedy of this magnitude has never occurred before in this place. It will take years for us to recover from this. I have been here since the incident happened, and I have met all the families who lost their loved ones. We met people who are undergoing treatment. Almost all of them are very poor, labourers, farmers, or farm labourers. Everyone has lost someone whom they depend on for their livelihood. I am at a loss for words. We don't want to politicise this thing and that is why the INDIA alliance parties are playing a responsible role. The government has formed a one-person committee consisting of Justice (Retd) Aruna Jagadeesan, whom we trust. The CM came here at midnight and stayed here till early in the morning. In the morning, the Deputy CM arrived. The injured are all in a stable condition and hopefully there will be no loss anymore. They are all traumatised. Tamil Nadu Congress has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore for the deceased."

PM Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF to be given to the next of kin of each person who died in the unfortunate incident at a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu. The injured will receive Rs 50,000.

Actor-politician Vijay announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the families of each of the 39 victims who died in the Karur rally stampede last evening. He also stated that his party will provide Rs 2 lakh each to nearly 100 people injured in the incident.

"While I express my deepest condolences with indescribable pain to you who are grieving the loss of our cherished loved ones, I also stand close to your hearts, sharing this immense sorrow. This is indeed an irreparable loss for us. No matter who offers words of comfort, the loss of our loved ones is unbearable. Yet, as a member of your family, I intend to provide 20 lakh rupees to each family that has lost a loved one and 2 lakh rupees to those who are injured and receiving treatment," TVK chief said. 

After meeting victims' families and injured people, Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udayanidhi Stalin said, "It's a huge loss and it cannot be replaced. We have advised the health department to make sure no further deaths occur due to the stampede. After such a scandal, it should not happen again, and for that, this government will take full action. CM has instructed that a single-person commission, headed by retired Justice Aruna Jagadeesan, be formed to inquire about the stampede incident. Aruna Jagadeesan is expected to arrive in Karur today. Our Chief Minister will take legal action as per the report of the enquiry commission."

On the Karur stampede, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary, P Senthil Kumar said, "In this unfortunate incident, 39 deaths have been reported. 17 women, 13 men, 4 male children, and 5 female children have lost their lives. Postmortem has been done for 30 out of 39 deceased, and bodies have been handed over to the families. The remaining postmortems are going on. 26 injured patients were treated in the OPD and were discharged. 67 injured have been admitted to the IPD and are undergoing treatment. 2 patients are critical. All others are stable. One of the patients is being shifted to Madurai Medical College and Hospital for further treatment..."

On meeting the victims and families of those deceased in the Karur stampede, BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan said, "Let us wait for the enquiry. First of all, we are with the people and we'll be sensible rather than sensational. Let the injured recover and then we will see."

Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran said, "Today we met the families of those who died and those who were injured and admitted to the hospital. No such incidents should happen in future. The Supreme Court sitting bench should take up this issue today itself. We don't trust the committee formed by the Tamil Nadu Government."

Deputy CM and DMK leader Udayanidhi Stalin heads to Karur Government Medical College and Hospital, where those injured in the Karur stampede are undergoing treatment, and the bodies of victims are being handed over to their family members after the postmortem.

TVK Karur West district secretary VP Mathiyazhagan has been booked for attempted murder following a deadly stampede at actor-politician Vijay's rally, with additional charges of culpable homicide and endangering public safety.

National Spokesperson of AIADMK, Kovai Sathyan said, "Looks like this situation is very grave. However, the information we have recieved from the ground is that many more are hospitalised in private hospitals... The government machinery is struggling to keep up with the demands of handling this type of crisis... The true picture is still not clear as to what led to this fiasco. It looks like the blame game will start rather than addressing the needs at this moment..."

BJP leader Annamalai condoled the deaths of 36 people in Kauru Stampede and slammed the DMK government for alleged negligence. In a post in Tamil on X, the BJP leader said, "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."

Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi broke down after seeing the bodies of children at the Karur Government Hospital mortuary.

Expressing the horrific condition after stampede, a victim said, "My Brother has two sons. His elder son died. We don't know where his younger son is. My brother's wife is admitted to the ICU now. I don't know what to do. My son's eye is injured..."

Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi condoled the tragic demise of 36 people. He said, "Deeply saddened by the tragic incident at a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu, that has taken so many precious lives. My heart goes out to their loved ones, and I wish a swift recovery to all those injured. I urge Congress workers and leaders to extend every possible support to the victims and their families, and to work closely with the authorities in relief and rescue efforts."

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin said that he was leaving for Karur tonight to meet the kin of deceased and those being treated in hospitals.

The ruling DMK has blamed actor-turned-politician Vijay for the tragedy. DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai said, "It is heartbreaking — people were all there and suddenly died because of the stampede. Who is responsible for this? It is the organisers. The rally was deliberately delayed because they wanted fancy drone shots to show that so many people had come for the rally, and this has now killed 31 people. Who is going to be answerable for this? This is all a ploy of Vijay."

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased as death count rises to 36 in Karur stampede. The CM has also annoucned a judicial probe into the stampede.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and Governor RN Ravi to take stock of situations.

The death toll in the TVK rally stampede in Karur has risen to 36. 

On the stampede-like situation in Karur at TVK chief and actor Vijay's rally, DMK leader Senthil Balaji said, "31 people have died and 58 have been admitted to government and private hospitals. CM M.K. Stalin has ordered the district administration and me to arrange medical facilities. The Health Minister and Education Minister will arrive soon, and the CM will visit tomorrow."

President Droupadi Murmu expressed grief over the deadly stampede. In a post on X, she said, "Anguished to know about the tragic loss of lives in a stampede-like unfortunate incident in Karur district of Tamil Nadu. I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and pray for early recovery of those injured."

The death toll in the deadly Karur stampede has risen to 31. The deceased include at least 6 children while over 50 people have been injured and rushed to the hospital.