Karur Stampede: 39 Dead at Vijay’s TVK Rally in Tamil Nadu

Chennai, September 28: The people of Karur came in their thousands to see Vijay, their film idol turned politician. By the end of the evening, at least 39 were dead. Some say 40. Children were among them. Families spent the night running between hospitals and police stations, searching, pleading, sometimes finding only silence.

The rally was meant to showcase the muscle of Vijay’s new party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Instead, it has left behind one of the darkest days in recent Tamil Nadu politics.

Panic In The Streets

The rally ground sat at the end of narrow lanes. Crowds began filling them hours before Vijay’s arrival. Locals say there was no real system to hold back the tide, no barricades wide enough, no clear exit routes.

When the surge started, bodies pressed shoulder to shoulder, people gasped for air, and a few tripped. That was all it took. Within minutes, the weight of the crowd pulled dozens down. Eyewitnesses spoke of hearing people cry, “Help us!” before their voices disappeared.

Ambulances struggled to get in. Some victims were carried by hand, lifted on motorbikes, or shoved into autorickshaws. By the time hospitals were ready, too many were already gone.

Police Blame TVK

The Tamil Nadu police wasted little time in pointing fingers. By nightfall, cases had been filed against senior TVK men Bussy Anand, Nirmal Kumar, and V. P. Mathiyalagan.

Officials say the party was told to shift the event to an open ground. They didn’t. The result, police argue, was inevitable. Claims by TVK that stones were thrown at the rally, sparking panic, were flatly denied by senior officers. “A diversion,” one called it.

TVK Fights Back

TVK is in no mood to take the blame. The party has already moved the Madras High Court, demanding a CBI or SIT probe. Its leaders hint at a darker hand, accusing the ruling DMK of setting up a conspiracy to crush Vijay’s political rise.

Publicly, the party says it had safety arrangements in place. Privately, TVK functionaries admit they were stunned by the sheer numbers that turned up. The crowd was larger than expected, but the party is betting the public will see it as proof of Vijay’s draw, not his weakness.

Government Moves Quickly

Chief Minister M. K. Stalin announced ₹10 lakh for the families of the dead and ₹1 lakh for the injured. A judicial commission, led by a retired judge, will investigate what went wrong.

The Prime Minister, too, stepped in, promising payouts from the PMNRF. For the DMK government, this is about damage control, showing it can act decisively while ensuring the blame sticks firmly to Vijay’s camp.

Film Industry Mourns

Tamil cinema reacted with shock. Rajinikanth called the loss “unbearable.” Kamal Haasan and Khushbu Sundar offered their condolences. For them, this was not just about politics. The victims were, in many cases, the same kind of fans who line up outside theatres, only this time the devotion ended in death.

At Vijay’s Neelankarai residence in Chennai, police and CRPF units are now on guard. Vehicles entering the street are being checked. The message is clear: emotions are running too high to take chances.

A Preventable Disaster

Plenty of voices are asking if all this could have been avoided. Political veterans warned months ago that Vijay’s rallies were drawing Bollywood-style crowds into towns with little infrastructure. “It was bound to happen,” said one opposition leader, citing the frenzy around Vijay’s first public meetings.

Party insiders admit TVK is still learning to operate like a political machine. The enthusiasm is there. The organisation isn’t. What Karur showed, brutally, is the danger of mixing film-star hysteria with poor planning.

What Happens Now

The deaths in Karur will hang over Tamil Nadu politics for weeks. TVK will fight to prove it was a target, not a culprit. The DMK hopes the judicial probe protects it from charges of negligence. Meanwhile, the AIADMK and others will sharpen their knives, looking to chip away at Vijay’s rising popularity.

But strip away the politics and what remains is the raw grief. Dozens of families are preparing funerals. Mothers staring at the small coffins of children who came to see their hero and never returned.

The real question isn’t who wins the political blame game. It’s whether Tamil Nadu will finally accept that rallies of this scale, without proper planning, are an invitation to tragedy.

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Ananya Sharma

Senior Political Correspondent – Ananya@hindustanherald.in – Web

Covers Indian politics, governance, and policy developments with over a decade of experience in political reporting.

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