Karur Stampede Tragedy: 40 Dead at Vijay’s Rally, Blame Game Erupts Between TVK and Tamil Nadu Government

Karur (Tamil Nadu), September 29, 2025: A day after a deadly stampede at actor-turned-politician Vijay’s rally in Karur left at least 40 people dead and over 100 injured, political tensions have escalated with both sides trading blame. The victims’ bodies were handed over to their families after post-mortem examinations on Sunday, while the injured continue to receive treatment at Karur Government Hospital, with three individuals in critical condition. Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin held an urgent consultation meeting with cabinet ministers, senior medical officers, and health teams at the hospital on Sunday. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin later visited families of the victims, announcing an ex-gratia relief of ₹10 lakh for the kin of the deceased and ₹1 lakh each for the injured. Calling the tragedy unprecedented in the state’s political history, Stalin vowed strict action once the inquiry revealed the truth. He also appointed Justice Aruna Jagadeesan to head a committee to probe the incident. Police officials, meanwhile, have attributed the chaos to a combination of overcrowding, mismanagement, and Vijay’s delayed arrival. According to Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Davidson Devasirvatham, Vijay reached the venue nearly three hours late after addressing another rally in Namakkal district. “For nearly ten minutes, he remained inside his specially designed campaign bus, which caused the restless crowd to surge forward in anticipation,” he said. The First Information Report (FIR) filed at Karur Town Police Station has named TVK’s Karur (North) district secretary Madhiazhagan, general secretary Bussy Anand, and joint general secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar under charges of culpable homicide, attempt to commit culpable homicide, and endangering the lives of others, under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Officials added that TVK had sought permission for 10,000 people, but nearly 25,000 turned up. Despite a deployment of around 500 police personnel, the event lacked basic facilities such as drinking water and adequate crowd-control measures. Police also claimed the organisers disregarded instructions to halt Vijay’s campaign bus at a safe distance from the designated stage area. TVK leaders, however, have rejected the allegations and accused the ruling party of attempting to shield its failures. S. Arivazhagan, counsel for TVK, alleged a “political conspiracy” and demanded a court-monitored or independent probe. He also claimed that post-mortem examinations were conducted hastily, without properly identifying the bodies. Adding to the row, a petition was filed by an injured participant, N. Senthilkannan, seeking to bar TVK from conducting further rallies until inquiries are completed. Political leaders across party lines expressed grief but differed on accountability. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate held political organisers responsible for such tragedies but said the immediate focus must be on supporting bereaved families. BJP’s Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka’s Legislative Council, blamed both Vijay’s inexperience and the Tamil Nadu government’s crowd-control lapses for the disaster. The tragedy has sparked widespread debate over political rallies in Tamil Nadu, with many calling for stricter regulations on crowd management and organiser accountability. For now, the probe panel led by Justice Jagadeesan is expected to determine whether lapses by TVK, the state police, or both were responsible for the catastrophic loss of life. Karur Stampede: 40 Dead at Vijay’s Rally A political rally in Karur turned tragic as a massive stampede claimed 40 lives and left over 100 injured during actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK event. Police blamed poor arrangements, overcrowding, and Vijay’s late arrival for triggering chaos, while organisers alleged political conspiracy. The FIR has named senior TVK leaders on charges of culpable homicide. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced compensation for victims’ families and appointed Justice Aruna Jagadeesan to lead the probe. As grief grips Tamil Nadu, questions on crowd control and accountability dominate the aftermath of one of the deadliest political rally tragedies in recent memory.