Tragedy at Vijay's Tamil Nadu Rally: 38 Dead in Crowd Crush Including Women and Children

Thirty-eight people lost their lives in a tragic crowd crush at TVK chief Vijay's political rally in Tamil Nadu's Karur district.

DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai described the scenes of parents mourning their children as "so, so disturbing." The death toll included 10 children and 17 women among the 38 victims.

"This is unbelievable. The tragedy that has unfolded, you can't believe that three children have died and the way the parents of the three children are mourning their death, the visuals are so, so disturbing," Mr Annadurai told NDTV.

The DMK representative pointed blame at actor-turned-politician Vijay and his event organizers, asserting that attendees were forced to wait for extended periods under intense sun.

"This is a deliberate ploy made by the organisers of this event... They (people) waited for almost six hours. They were all there. Why did they (Vijay and team) do this? They did this so that there would be mobilisation of crowds. This is a cheap ploy by the organisers and there was criminal negligence," stated the DMK leader.

"Whoever is responsible has to be arrested. And Mr Vijay is culpable. He cannot escape culpability," the DMK representative insisted.

Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed that the tragedy has "shaken the hearts of us all."

Each victim's family will receive compensation of Rs 10 lakh from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund.

"A one-person Commission of Inquiry, headed by Retired High Court Justice Mrs Aruna Jagadeesan, will be immediately constituted to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report to the government," said the Chief Minister, who is traveling to Karur to meet affected families and those injured in the stampede.

Police sources informed NDTV that the stampede occurred when crowds fell at a location where many had pushed forward. A senior officer estimated that "at least 30,000 people had gathered" at the venue where Vijay was scheduled to speak following his earlier rally in Namakkal. His arrival was delayed by over six hours, during which the crowd grew unmanageable.

"You (Vijay) are not even willing to follow the rules, and you want to become the chief minister. What a shame," said the DMK leader.

This incident is not the first time Vijay's rallies have faced scrutiny.

Vijay's inaugural rally in Trichy earlier this month drew massive crowds accompanying his convoy from the airport to the venue, transforming a 20-minute journey into a six-hour traffic jam that paralyzed the city.

"It's very, very sad and shocking. An irreparable loss. It should not have happened. It is the responsibility of the organisers and the state government machinery should have been extra conscious," said BJP leader Ashvathaman Allimuthu.

When asked about DMK's allegation that Vijay deliberately waited for crowds to grow denser, the BJP leader seemed to concur.

"It will be true because it is happening in every programme of Vijay. He comes only on weekends, which means more crowd. If there's more crowd, you have to be extra conscious," said the BJP leader.

Vijay has been conducting tours across the state with plans to cover all 38 districts through public meetings. Events during his tour are primarily scheduled on Saturdays, with only one program planned for a Sunday.

"He's an actor that is the reason why people were waiting and he took advantage. He wanted to milk them politically and see this is what has happened and Mr Vijay has to take responsibility. Mr Vijay is culpable," the DMK leader asserted.

Following MGR and Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu has not witnessed actors achieving enough political success to become chief ministers - including renowned figures like Sivaji Ganesan, Vijayakanth, Sarathkumar, and Kamal Haasan. Even superstar Rajinikanth ultimately withdrew from politics entirely.

However, Vijay's team maintains his situation differs. Unlike others, he is entering electoral politics at the height of his acting career, relying on his current mass appeal to transform his popularity into votes.