TIRUCHY: A nearly five-hour delay in TVK leader Vijay’s campaign launched at Marakkadai on Saturday caused massive traffic congestion across Tiruchy city, severely disrupting routine life for thousands. The situation, largely attributed to police lapses in traffic and crowd management, sparked widespread frustration among commuters, emergency service providers, and local businesses.
Tiruchy City Police had granted permission for the campaign with 23 strict conditions, including limiting the event to just 30 minutes between 10.30 am and 11 am. Accordingly, Vijay arrived in Tiruchy by a charter flight and only boarded his campaign vehicle from the airport at 10 am.
Despite the police and the party’s directive that cadres should not disturb the public, thousands of supporters along with families and children gathered along the city roads to catch a glimpse of the actor-turned-politician.
As a result, Vijay’s campaign vehicle moved very slowly and reached Marakkadai only by 3 pm, a delay of nearly five hours. This delay led to severe snarl-ups across the city, particularly on the Tiruchy-Pudukkottai and Tiruchy-Chennai National Highways, TVS Tollgate, Head Post Office Junction, Melapudur, Palakkarai, Thennur, Gandhi Market, Court Road, and surrounding areas. Emergency services were delayed, businesses were disrupted, and thousands of commuters were stranded for hours.
P Ayyarapparan, a road safety activist from Tiruchy, told the TNIE, “The city frequently experiences gridlock, yet the police take no proactive measures. Sensitive locations like Marakkadai, Anna Statue, and Chathiram Bus Stand should not be permitted for political rallies. The police appear to act more in favour of politicians than the public. This incident is a clear example of it. Officials who are supposed to serve the people should prioritise public concerns instead of yielding to political pressure. Rallies and protests should not be allowed on main city roads in future.”
Eyewitnesses said that vehicles were stuck in traffic for long duration, with women, the elderly, and especially those from rural areas being the most affected. Several people took to social media to express their anger and frustration over the actions of TVK cadres, as well as at the police and administration for failing to manage the situation.
Advocate S R Kishore Kumar from Tiruchy said, “This was not an unexpected event. A massive crowd was anticipated, yet the police allowed the meeting at Marakkadai, a key traffic artery. The situation could have been avoided if the campaign had been held at venues like Anna Stadium or G-Corner. Rural commuters unfamiliar with the event were among the worst affected.”
According to police sources, around 1 lakh people from various districts gathered in the city, overwhelming its infrastructure, while 650 police personnel were deployed for the event.
A Velumani, a bank employee, said, “It took me over 90 minutes to travel from Gandhi Market to Central Bus Stand. The police failed to control the crowd in front of Vijay’s campaign vehicle, which slowed it down even more. If they had cleared the way, the convoy could have moved faster and avoided this chaos. I did not see enough police personnel on the roads.”
When contacted, a senior city police official told TNIE, “We expected a crowd of around 25,000, but the turnout exceeded our expectations. Of those who gathered, about 25% were party cadres, while the rest were general public. We had deployed sufficient police personnel based on that estimate. However, the turnout far exceeded what the TVK had informed us. The party did not fully cooperate with police instructions. If we act too strictly, it can escalate tensions, so we chose to handle the situation politely.”
