Actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Karur turned tragic on Saturday after a stampede-like crush left 39 people dead, including women and children. Tamil Nadu DGP G Venkataraman on Sunday said that the delayed arrival of Vijay at the rally contributed to the chaos.
According to Venkataraman, TVK had posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Vijay would arrive at the venue at 12 noon, though the meeting was officially permitted between 3 pm and 10 pm. Supporters began gathering from 11 am, but Vijay arrived only at 7:40 pm, leaving thousands waiting without food and water under the hot sun.
“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,” the DGP said.
The rally was held at Velusamypuram on the Karur–Erode highway, where Vijay was addressing the gathering when the incident occurred. Police described it as a “stampede-like crush.”
Police Deployment and Crowd Surge
While organisers had initially sought permission for 10,000 people, nearly 27,000 supporters turned up to see Vijay. Police had anticipated around 20,000 attendees and deployed personnel accordingly.
“Our intention is not to blame anyone, but we are just stating the facts,” DGP Venkataraman said, adding that heavy police deployment was in place. He noted that the rally was held on a public road, and more police presence would have reduced available space for the crowd.
Currently, ADGP (Law and Order) Davidson Devasirvatham, three Inspector Generals of Police, two DIGs, 10 SPs, and about 2,000 personnel have been sent to Karur.
