KARUR: At 15, R Prakash's (name changed) idea of politics was simple; he just had to make sure the banners of his idol were the biggest and prominent ones at the annual Mariyamman temple festival in Karur. As decades passed by, the banners paved the way for Facebook posts and WhatsApp updates, and his years of devotion to the actor led him to join the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Now at 38, Prakash is a district-level functionary of the party entrusted with mobilising supporters. He played a key role in organising Vijay’s rally in Karur.
Prakash exemplified the hundreds of people, predominantly men, who were the foot soldiers in executing one of the most watched political campaigns, launched on September 13 in Tiruchy by Vijay. Like Prakash, they are all loyal fans of Vijay for years, majority of them being middle-class office-goers, small-time traders, students, and former fan club secretaries, and some are now 'district secretaries', a coveted post in major parties.
They carried the title with pride, but had little to no exposure in organising meetings, mobilising and managing crowd at party events, effective communication, or tackling crisis. Many functionaries, who spoke on anonymity to TNIE, shared the party had not made any efforts to equip them as well. They said even for the rallies, they had to pool in `8 to `10 lakh from their pocket to manage the expenditure, as financial support from the party was not adequate. This inexperience in politicking stood thoroughly exposed in the Karur event, which displayed unbridled enthusiasm, which was seen as a strength instead of being viewed as a cause of concern.
TVK functionaries in Karur TNIE spoke to said they received a call from party headquarters on September 18, a day after the massive Mupperum Vizha of the ruling DMK, asking them to prepare for the actor-turned politician's rally, in what appeared as a strategy to demonstrate the party’s strength to counter the ruling party.
Acting as per instructions, when functionaries approached the police on September 19, seeking the Lighthouse Roundabout and Uzhavar Sandhai as possible venues for their leader’s event for September 27, police denied permission, saying PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss had already secured that date in Karur for his ongoing state-wide campaign.
However, when Anbumani postponed his event to the September 28, TVK re-applied on September 25, two days ahead of the event, claiming the LightHouse Roundabout could easily hold 50,000 people based on an assessment they did even though their expected crowd was only 10,000.
However, they received an update from the police a day later, suggesting the venue be shifted to Velusamypuram where AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had held a similar rally just a few days ago.
"We didn't have any option but to take this place as we didn't want the party heads to think we are incapable of securing even this permission. Hence, with Velayuthampalayam as receiving point, we accepted to the conditions," said a party functionary.
TVK officially announced the core team of 10 functionaries responsible for organising the evening only on September 26, a day before the event.
With less than 24 hours in hand since the granting of permission by the police, the team mobilised cadre and arranged logistics in coordination with the police. They stocked 10,000 water bottles, put up banners, arranged sound systems and over 20 bouncers to manage the crowd, but failed to provide basic infrastructure such as mobile toilets, or medical aid spots. The party had announced Vijay would speak at 12 pm in Karur.
The district secretary, who served as the point of contact with the party leadership, had earlier discussed arranging walkie-talkies to stay in constant touch with the core team, but the plan was dropped due to time constraints. As the crowd swelled, functionaries said communication broke down completely between the core team.
One local functionary recalled standing near the makeshift power generator shed arranged for the event, and realising that the crowd was far larger than expected even before noon. Most were students and workers and many had come with their family members.
They had waited under the scorching sun hours with little or no shade or water. When Vijay’s convoy reached the spot 7.15 hours later than the scheduled time accompanied by a crowd, the tragedy had already begun to unfold.
Health Secretary P Senthil Kumar, in the media briefing, had said the first call for ambulance to 108 call centre came at 7.14 pm, before which ambulances kept on standby by the party had already been called for service.
"When the news spread, many of us rushed to pull our own families out of the crowd. As news of death toll spread, some of my relatives begged me not to venture again into the crowd," said one of the local functionaries, explaining the unfolding of the tragedy even as Vijay was talking.
More than fear, he admitted that the lack of direction from the leaders created a void. "We never received any clear orders from the top. So many of us, including the district secretary, did not bother to reach the victims’ families. Everyone just stayed away," he added.
In the aftermath of the stampede, many district leaders went underground. Phones were switched off, WhatsApp groups abandoned, and several cadres expressed fear of being named in FIRs. “Lawyers are asking huge sums. We feel abandoned,” said a Karur organiser.
The sense of betrayal has grown among functionaries who say they have received no legal or financial support from the party’s headquarters. For many, the tragedy has underscored the gap between Vijay’s star power and the fragile scaffolding of his party organisation.
Political analyst VM Sunil Kumar said the tragedy in Karur was the culmination of a series of mismanaged events. In Tiruchy, supporters waited for six hours. Party people repeatedly announced through loudspeakers the expected arrival time, but nothing on safety measures. "We were instructed not to say anything other than Vijay anna’s arrival time," one announcer later admitted
In almost every rally, the sound systems arranged by the party malfunctioned, leading to the actor-politician's speech inaudible for some parts, an indication of how basic infrastructure could not be ensured.
G Arun Kumar, who teaches political science, argued Vijay should have understood the risks. "Being an actor he knows the power of visual media. Statements don’t reach fans. They watch him, not read him. He didn’t even release a short video on do's and don'ts for his cadre. It shows that he perhaps enjoyed the stunts the fans displayed, including climbing on electric poles and tailing his vehicle dangerously," he said, adding the party needed serious introspection and course correction if it wanted to come back from this tragedy.
(With inputs from N Ramesh Thiruvarur, Mohamed Salahudeen Nagapattinam, P Thiruselvam Tiruchy, Sneha Sivashanmugam Namakkal and Vignesh V Madurai)