Children among 39 killed in stampede at TVK chief's rally in Tamil Nadu; What led to the rush ?
PTC News Desk: At least 39 people including 10 children died in a stampede that broke out during Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief’s rally in Tamil Nadu’s Karur.
Several people fainted due to heat, dehydration, and a lack of space as they waited for hours in the sun for a glimpse of their favourite star. Many faded away and collapsed next to Vijay's campaign vehicle, prompting him to stop his speech midway.
Explaining the circumstances that led to the stampede, Tamil Nadu DGP G. Venkataraman told reporters today that the crowd had started gathering as early as 11 am and grew steadily as people waited without sufficient food or water. Supporters had begun arriving in the morning after the TVK party announced on social media that their leader would appear by noon. However, when Vijay finally reached the venue at 7:40 pm—over seven hours later—the long delay aggravated the crowd’s discomfort. Many attendees, already exhausted from standing in the heat, fainted as the tightly packed conditions worsened.
The crowd surged after expectations set by the party's Twitter handle, which mentioned Vijay would arrive at 12 noon. "Permission (for the meeting) was sought for between 3 pm-10 pm. The TVK Twitter account said he will come at 12 and crowd started coming in from 11 am. He came at 7:40 pm. The people lacked sufficient food water under the hot sun," he said.
Organisers had prepared for about 10,000 people, but police estimated the turnout to be closer to 27,000, creating severe congestion at the public road venue. As the situation deteriorated, Vijay was quickly escorted away, and the rally was halted while police and emergency teams moved in to assist those injured.
According to DGP Venkataraman, security arrangements had been made assuming a crowd of around 20,000. He pointed out that the open road setting limited how many additional police could be deployed, since a larger presence would have further reduced the space available to attendees.
Addressing claims that only 500 officers were on duty, officials clarified that adding more personnel would have constricted the venue even further. The police said their deployment was meant as “extra support,” stressing the inherent difficulties of crowd control in such a setting.
- PTC NEWS
