As Death Toll Rises to 41, Grief and Questions Mount After Vijay Rally Stampede in Karur

B Duraiswamy, a resident of Karur’s Sivanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, was at a loss for words to console his brother Anand Raj.Anand lost his entire family in a single day—his 28-year-old wife Hemalatha and two daughters, Sai Lakshana and Sai Jeeva, who were eight and four, respectively.Hemalatha and her daughters had gone to Vijay's rally in Veluswamy Nagar on Saturday, 27 September, to catch a glimpse of the actor-turned-politician and hear his voice. “Both her daughters were diehard fans of Vijay. She had taken them to the rally to make them happy,” Duraiswamy told The Quint.As the crowds surged, leading to a tragic stampede, Vijay's rally saw 41 deaths, including women and children, and left 51 injured who are currently undergoing treatment in ICUs at the Karur Government Medical College Hospital. Duraiswamy decided not to bring the bodies of the three family members home from the mortuary. “We received the bodies at 7 am today, and completed the final rites by 10 am at a nearby crematorium. I thought this would ease my brother’s pain—at least a little,” Duraiswamy said, fighting back his tears.Eyewitnesses spoke of the many "should-haves" Vijay's party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) overlooked, resulting in what Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin called "an unprecedented tragedy" in the state's political history. He has announced Rs 10 lakh for the family of each deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the injured on the day of the incident.With factory workers utilising their day off to shop for groceries, textile shops calling out to customers to maximise sales, and parents taking their children out for snacks, Sundays usually have a busy vibe at textile hub Veluswamy Nagar in Karur, located about 360 km from Chennai. Today, slippers lie scattered and red- and yellow-coloured shawls and clothes are strewn across the venue as police personnel scramble to guard the town with barricades, health department staff sanitise the area, and civic workers clear the debris. It’s still busy, but in the most brutal way.Saravana Kumar, an auto driver in Karur, questioned Vijay's delayed arrival to the venue at 7:40 pm, almost eight hours after he was expected.“When the organisers knew the actor would arrive late, why did they allow access to the venue from the morning, letting the crowd swell? An unexpectedly large turnout has been the norm at TVK rallies... Yet, why were preparations inadequate? Why were there more bouncers at the frontline of security than police officers?” questioned Kumar, who had gone to the rally but returned even before the actor had come. On Sunday, Vijay announced Rs 20 lakh for the deceased, and Rs 2 lakh for the injured. Vijay, and TVK, have drawn major flak for poor organisation and the lack of crowd management protocols at the rally. While the permission letter for Vijay’s Karur rally reportedly mentioned a turnout of 10,000, officials estimate nearly 50,000 people gathered at the 1.20 lakh sq ft venue.Karur Stampede: When Politics, Poor Planning, and Tragedy CollidedP Devendran, a 34-year-old police constable in Karur, was struggling to come to terms with the fact that he can no longer share a meal with his wife—a simple joy they had cherished together. His wife, D Suganya, had been his college sweetheart. She was among the 41 people who died in the stampede, leaving her two sons behind.“She had been waiting for the rally to happen in Karur for months now. She grew up watching his films and was a great fan. I have lost my best friend."P DevendranAmong the deceased are 22-year-old Brinda, who left her two-year-old son with her sister to attend the rally, and Thamaraikannan, who was returning from work when he was caught in the stampede—leaving behind a wife who was nine months pregnant.An FIR against three senior TVK leaders — District Secretary Mathiyazhagan, State General Secretary Bushi Anand and State Joint Secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar — stated that Vijay’s entry into Karur was deliberately delayed by four hours to showcase the massive crowd as a political statement. They have been booked under Sections 105, 110, 125(b), and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, along with Section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Public Property Act. The FIR also noted that despite repeated warnings from police officials that the situation was spiralling out of control and could lead to suffocation and injuries, the leaders ignored the alerts.On X, Vijay said the compensation he announced was not significant in the face of such a loss, but that it was his duty to stand by the bereaved families. After being criticised for keeping silent for a day, TVK on Sunday alleged a conspiracy by the DMK, blaming the tragedy on poor traffic management. The party has also moved the Madras High Court, seeking either a Special Investigation Team or a CBI probe.But this is not the first time TVK’s political meetings have drawn criticism, with media personnel describing the experience as "chaotic" and "unsafe".Shweta Tripathi, Special Correspondent at The Federal, has attended three of TVK’s political meetings in Madurai, Namakkal, and Karur. “There are no adequate toilets, no drinking water facility, and no security—these were the constant lapses in TVK’s meetings,” Tripathi said. She recounted that she had to wait for six hours to use the restroom. In Madurai, the green mats laid out for people to sit on were torn up—and used instead as shields against the sun.“I consider myself lucky to have made it out of the Madurai conference without being injured. I was actually groped when getting into the media gallery. When arrangements for the media are this bad, you can imagine the plight of the general public."Shweta TripathiShanmugam, a shopkeeper who lives in a house right opposite the venue, said electricity kept going on and off between 4 pm and 7 pm. “The organisers knew the situation was not under control yet they did not act,” he recalled. “Residents offered drinking water to the participants,” he said. “This is not the first time Vijay has behaved this way. He may be a megastar, but he is neither a mass politician nor a leader of the people. Without a clear plan, vision, or commitment, he is merely exploiting his cinema popularity without public morals. In a publicity-driven culture, people will always gather around a film actor—but that doesn’t translate into real leadership,” said Professor Ramu Manivannan, former head of Department of Political Science, University of Madras.(This copy has been updated to add details from the FIR.)(Laasya Shekhar is an independent journalist from Chennai with 10 years of experience in print and digital media, predominantly covering environmental, energy, and women's issues.)Stampedes on the Rise: 92 Cases Seen Between 2017-22, 2025 Sees Spike in Deaths

BECOME A MEMBER

‘My Nieces Were Diehard Fans of Vijay’: Families Mourn Karur Stampede Victims

Eyewitnesses have described the many ‘should-haves’ that were overlooked while organising the TVK rally.

Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from news

Topics: Tamil Nadu Vijay Stampede