Crowd Exceeded Estimates, Early Rally Alerts: Tamil Nadu Top Cop Details Karur Stampede

Tamil Nadu DGP G Venkatraman on Sunday described the deadly stampede at actor-turned-politician Vijay’s rally in Karur as an “unfortunate” incident, confirming that the death toll currently stands at 38.

Speaking to the media, the DGP explained that authorities had anticipated a large turnout based on Vijay’s previous rallies.

“Even though permission was sought for 10,000 people, we knew the crowd would exceed that,” he said, adding that TVK’s social media handles announced Vijay’s arrival much earlier than his actual time of arrival, which led to crowd build-up.

He also noted that while TVK had requested smaller venues, officials allocated the same 1.2 lakh square feet site that had recently hosted an ADMK rally, projecting a higher turnout.

“Senior

police officers with a posse of 2,000 personnel are reaching the spot now. A one-man commission has been set up, so we cannot reveal much. They will investigate today’s incident,” Venkatraman said.

Earlier, officials said that nearly 50,000 people had gathered at the venue, far exceeding the expected 10,000.

The sudden surge forced Vijay to halt his speech as several attendees, including party workers and children, fainted amid the overcrowding.

Emergency teams rushed the injured to nearby hospitals, with DMK leader Senthil Balaji and the district collector personally reviewing the situation.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin described the incident as “worrying” on social media and said he had directed senior ministers, including Health Minister Subramanian and Education Minister Anbil Mahesh, to coordinate relief efforts.

Stalin has also announced the formation of a Commission of Inquiry, headed by Justice Aruna Jagadeesan, to probe the Karur stampede, which left multiple people dead and several others injured.

Authorities said the commission will examine all aspects of the tragedy to ensure accountability and prevent similar incidents in the future.