DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai on Saturday called the stampede-like incident at actor-turned-politician Vijay’s rally in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district “heartbreaking,” after chaos claimed the lives of at least 31 people, including children. He said the most distressing aspect was watching the grief of parents who lost their young ones. “This is unbelievable. The way the parents of the three children are mourning their loss is so, so disturbing,” he told NDTV.
The DMK leader strongly criticised Vijay and his team, blaming them for keeping people waiting for over six hours under the scorching sun. “Vijay said the programme would start at 8:45 am. But it didn’t. People were kept waiting so that more crowds could gather. This was a cheap ploy, and it amounts to criminal negligence,” he alleged. He added that Vijay could not escape responsibility for what happened and is also culpable.
According to police, the stampede began when a section of the crowd surged forward and people fell, creating a chain reaction. Officials estimated that around 30,000 people had gathered at the venue. Vijay, who was scheduled to arrive after a rally in Namakkal, reached the Karur event more than six hours late, by which time the crowd had grown unmanageable.
Annadurai continued his attack, saying, “You (Vijay) are not even following rules, and yet you want to become chief minister. What a shame.”
This is not the first time that Vijay’s rallies have drawn criticism. Earlier this month in Trichy, his debut political rally created a traffic nightmare when huge crowds accompanied his convoy from the airport. A 20-minute drive turned into a six-hour jam, virtually paralysing the city.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed his condolences on social media, calling the reports from Karur “saddening.” He ordered immediate medical treatment for those injured, directed ministers and senior officials to provide relief, and appealed to the public to cooperate with police.
Vijay, who recently launched his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), has been touring the state and plans to cover all 38 districts through public meetings. Most events are scheduled on Saturdays to attract maximum participation.