The stampede at TVK chief and actor Vijay’s public rally at Velusamypuram in Karur on Saturday night, which resulted in more than 35 deaths, was a tragedy waiting to happen given several factors, including poor crowd management and the party itself expecting only 10,000 attendees.
In their permission letter to the district police, the party said they expected a crowd of 10,000, but many more turned up to catch a glimpse of Vijay. These included at least eight children, who should not even have been at the event as per instructions issued by the police.
According to police sources, more than 50,000 people had gathered at the venue.
Spectators said the crowd became unmanageable when those already present at Velusamypuram for the campaign were joined by Vijay’s procession, along with supporters from the Namakkal and Paramathivelur areas.
The event was organised at the same venue where AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had campaigned last Thursday.
Although it was announced that the campaign would take place between 3.30 p.m. and 4 p.m., Vijay, who came from Namakkal, arrived only around 5.45 p.m. He began speaking at around 7 p.m.
Due to pushing and jostling in the crowd, the power supply was disrupted, and the lights went out. With the loudspeakers also failing, people moved closer to hear Vijay speak. In the process, they pushed one another, causing several to fall, which led to the tragedy, according to eyewitnesses.
Sources said there was no one present at the meeting spot to control the party cadres. The party had reportedly not nominated any specific functionary or team to manage the crowd.
Meanwhile, TVK leader Vijay returned to Tiruchy Airport from Karur and flew back to Chennai around 10.15 p.m. by his chartered flight on Saturday.
Vijay’s rally in Trichy two weeks ago was also chaotic, as a five-hour delay caused severe traffic jams and disrupted regular life for citizens. The massive crowds ensured that Vijay’s campaign vehicle moved slowly through the designated route despite police allowing him only half an hour.
After difficulties in managing the crowd during the previous two Saturdays of Vijay’s rallies, the party, ahead of the rally on September 26, had issued detailed instructions to the cadres, including not bringing children, not climbing electric poles to catch a glimpse of the actor, and not running after or chasing his campaign vehicle. The instructions, however, were not strictly followed in Namakkal and Karur, where Vijay campaigned on Saturday.
Incidentally, TVK had approached the Madras High Court earlier this month, arguing against the unfair conditions imposed by police for granting permissions for rallies and public meetings. The petition sought a direction for the TN police chief to instruct subordinate officers and grant permissions for their rallies from September 20 to December 20.
While hearing the case, the court directed the Tamil Nadu government to frame guidelines to collect a deposit fee from political parties that wanted to hold such public meetings. This deposit could then be adjusted against penalties if party cadres damaged public property. The direction came after the court was shown photographs of the damage to public property during Vijay’s Trichy campaign.
(With inputs from D Vincent Arockiaraj)
