TIRUCHY/KARUR: What began as a routine leg of TVK chief and actor Vijay’s political campaign turned into a tragedy on Saturday evening in Karur, where a massive crowd surge led to a stampede, leaving 40 people dead and many injured.
But hours before Vijay arrived in Velusamypuram, the narrow 60-foot road chosen for his public meeting had already become a trap. And by Sunday morning, the only signs of the tragedy were scattered slippers, torn-out banners and cars of leaders visiting the spot causing traffic snarl-ups.
However, the chain of events leading to the disaster reveals a mix of poor coordination, crowd mismanagement, and delayed scheduling.
Vijay arrived at Tiruchy International Airport at 9.30 am. From there, he proceeded by car towards Namakkal via Musiri. On the way, at a village near Thottiyam, he switched from the car to his signature campaign vehicle, a modified bus used for his public addresses. According to the TVK’s original schedule, Vijay was supposed to reach the KS Theatre on Salem Road, Namakkal, by 8.30 am, but he did not arrive until 2.35 pm.
“If Vijay had come on time, this tragedy wouldn’t have happened,” said R Balaji from Thanthondri Malai in Karur. Echoing a similar view, eyewitness L Divyan said, “If proper restrictions and timings had been enforced, the situation would not have gone out of control.”
The slow movement of Vijay’s convoy was attributed to the large number of supporters lining up the roads, waiting to catch a glimpse of him. An estimated 20,000 people had gathered in Namakkal, with only 150 police personnel deployed to control the crowd. Vijay gave a brief 20-minute speech, then left for Karur at 2.55 pm.
Vijay reached Velusamypuram around 7 pm, nearly four hours later than the announced schedule.
Speaking to TNIE, a police official from Namakkal said, “The delay was caused by Vijay, his cadres, and fans. He deliberately slowed down the vehicle at multiple locations to greet his supporters, and a large number of vehicles followed his convoy.
The TVK did not inform us about the exact route Vijay would be taking, making it extremely difficult to plan security arrangements. Many of the youth behaved aggressively and did not follow any instructions from us. While functionaries of other parties usually cooperate with our guidelines, TVK supporters showed complete disregard for the norms.
Even the top leadership of the party was unable to bring them under control.” The police were prepared for a crowd of 10,000, but over 30,000 people eventually gathered. Despite the massive turnout, only 500 cops were deployed at the site.
A large number of supporters, some of whom had followed the campaign vehicle from Tiruchy, Namakkal, and other districts, came to the venue. Several groups from other districts joined in the evening, worsening the situation, said M Balasubramaniyam from Karur.
“Students, college girls and school students should have been made to stand in a secure place. Separate groups should have been created and each district’s participants should have been placed within their own groups,” R Vetrivel, a resident of the area said, adding that poor crowd control triggered the tragedy.
Meanwhile, just 300 metres away from the venue, crowds were disappointed at not being able to see Vijay because the vehicle’s interior lights were turned off, creating confusion, triggering a forward rush towards the packed venue.
In fact, according to G Raj of Thiruvalluvar Nagar (Karur), panic broke out even before Vijay’s arrival, when youngsters climbed onto a tin roof that collapsed, hurling bodies into the jammed crowd below. “A woman died right in front of my eyes. Police were nowhere to be seen,” he said.
At 7.10 pm, Vijay began his speech that lasted for just 10 minutes after which people began to faint from exhaustion and lack of oxygen. “People broke open the generator room temporarily set up to supply power for speakers and halogen lamps, just to breathe.
The power went off for a few minutes and came back again,” said M Balasubramaniyam, who also recalled a brief moment of struggle between the crowd and the police that led to lathi-charge. Many fell down while trying to climb structures for a better view. While Vijay was speaking, ambulances were rushed in to aid the injured.In a desperate attempt to help, Vijay threw water bottles from his vehicle into the crowd as he noticed people fainting.
Reports say that TVK cadres on the other side of the venue had no clue and clashed with ambulance drivers, accusing them of disrupting the event.“The crowd never moved an inch for hours. There was no air, no food, nowhere to go,” G Raj said.
Some videos showed a slipper flying from the crowd towards Vijay’s vehicle. Amid the chaos, Vijay abruptly ended his speech, left the venue. He reached Tiruchy Airport at 9.45 pm before leaving for Chennai by a chartered flight by 10.10 pm.