Tamil Nadu DGP G Venkatraman on Sunday said TVK chief Vijay’s delayed arrival for his rally led to a surge in the crowds at Karur, where 39 were killed in a stampede.
Calling the stampede an “unfortunate”
incident, Venkatraman said while the crowds swelled, people also lacked sufficient food and water waiting for Vijay under the hot sun.
He said permission was sought for 10,000 people, and the authorities had estimated a large turnout based on the actor-politician’s previous rallies.
“Even though permission was sought for 10,000 people, we knew the crowd would exceed that,” Venkatraman told reporters.
The police chief said TVK’s social media handles announced Vijay’s arrival much earlier than his actual time of arrival, which led to a crowd surge. He said while TVK had requested smaller venues, officials allocated the same 1.2 lakh sq ft site that had recently hosted an AIADMK rally, projecting a higher turnout.
“Permission (for the meeting) was sought for between 3 pm and 10 pm. The TVK Twitter account said he will come at 12 and the crowd started coming in from 11 am. He came at 7.40 pm. The people lacked sufficient food and water under the hot sun. Our intention is not to blame anyone, but we are just stating the facts,” he said.
Earlier, officials said at least 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.
Asked if there were “only 500” police personnel on bandobast duty, Venkatraman said the meeting venue was a public road and more police cover would have meant people would not have sufficient space. He said the organisers were clearly told about crowd and related issues and the police are only “extra help”, and there cannot be added police presence anticipating such a surge in crowd.
Chief Minister MK Stalin described the incident as “worrying” on social media and said he had directed senior ministers to coordinate relief efforts.
Stalin has announced the formation of a commission of inquiry, headed by Justice Aruna Jagadeesan, to probe the stampede. Authorities said the commission will examine all aspects of the tragedy to ensure accountability and prevent similar incidents in the future.
WHAT EYEWITNESSES SAID
Many eyewitnesses, who were part of the rally, said “nothing could have been done to control the crowd” .
“We were there ourselves. Nothing could be done to control the crowd. He (Vijay) had said he would arrive in Karur by 11 am, and everyone was informed about it. But when he came, it was much delayed. We pray that everyone who was injured recovers fully and returns home safely. But beyond that, such incidents must be prevented from happening again,” an eyewitness Nanda Kumar told news agency ANI. “It’s hard to understand who is at fault. People had come expecting him to arrive on time; many were accompanied by children, were hungry, or faced difficult situations. Everyone came with the enthusiasm of wanting to see a star. This is deeply distressing.”
Kumar said “such events should be carefully planned”. “Even if proper safety measures were in place, what can anyone do if 10 or 15 times more people show up than expected? This was a serious mistake. Such events should be carefully planned. I pray to the Almighty that the Tamil Nadu government provide proper support to the affected people.”
Another eyewitness, Suriya, told ANI: “Ambulances couldn’t get in. There wasn’t enough space for people to stand. It took a very long time to bring people out.”
Zakir, a relative of one of the victims, said Vijay was supposed to arrive at 9 am but he did not show up at that time.
“Because of that, there was a huge crowd… Near Thirukoilure, especially, there was a huge rush with many youngsters and women. In meetings like this, women and children should not be brought along. Please, it’s very difficult and emotionally painful to witness,” he said.
In a post on X, Vijay expressed grief over the tragic loss of lives in the stampede. “My heart is shattered; I am writhing in unbearable, indescribable pain and sorrow that words cannot express. 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,” he wrote.
