Tamil Nadu Police Defends Security Measures After Fatal Stampede at Actor Vijay's Political Rally

The Tamil Nadu police have defended their security arrangements at Thamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay's political rally in Karur, following a tragic stampede that claimed 40 lives and injured nearly 100 people on Saturday evening.

ADGP (Law & Order) Davidson Devasirvatham countered criticism regarding the allegedly insufficient police presence, stating that the deployment was proportionate to expected attendance. "We classified the Karur event as high-risk and deployed 500 personnel at a ratio of one officer per 50 attendees, anticipating a crowd of 25,000 people - which was 2.5 times higher than what the organizers projected. Eventually, approximately 27,000 people attended," he explained.

Devasirvatham highlighted the police department's consistent approach to securing Vijay's political events across Tamil Nadu, citing previous deployments: 650 officers in Trichy, 287 in Ariyalur, 480 in Perambalur, 410 in Nagapattinam, 413 in Tiruvarur, and 279 in Namakkal - where he noted 34 individuals had previously required hospitalization due to heatstroke.

For context, he mentioned that AIADMK chief and Opposition Leader Edappadi Palaniswami's recent rally at the same Karur venue required only 137 police personnel "as it was an orderly crowd."

Devasirvatham acknowledged the chaotic situation during Vijay's rally: "Yesterday we couldn't even move the injured through the crowd. Even Vijay himself could not be evacuated."

Addressing concerns raised by Palaniswami about emergency medical services, the senior officer clarified that TVK had arranged two ambulances as per agreed conditions. "Following the stampede, police alerted the local station, and approximately 10 ambulances were mobilized from private hospitals," he said, while also refuting reports of stone-throwing incidents.

Explaining the sequence of events, Devasirvatham noted that the tragedy resulted from delays and growing crowd impatience. Vijay's Namakkal campaign, originally scheduled for 12 noon, was delayed by four hours. The actor-politician departed at 4:15 pm, reached Karur by 6:00 pm, and boarded his campaign vehicle.

"There was tremendous eagerness among supporters to see him. Crowds followed his vehicle for nearly an hour. TVK organizers refused to have Vijay address the gathering 50 meters before the designated spot. For 10 minutes after his arrival, he wasn't visible to most attendees. The crowd grew restless, triggering a sudden surge," he explained.

He added that many supporters had arrived by 11:00 am and waited for hours without food or water, potentially worsening the situation. "An incident occurred at the crowd's periphery, which remains under investigation," he stated.

Regarding power supply issues, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Department confirmed that uninterrupted electricity was maintained throughout Karur during the rally. However, TVK organizers, who had set up their own generators and spotlights, experienced disruptions as crowds surged forward.

While police authorities maintain that the political party violated agreed conditions, TVK has accused law enforcement of failing to properly manage traffic and crowd dispersal, identifying these failures as the primary causes of the stampede. The party has announced intentions to petition the Madras High Court for an independent investigation, alleging a "criminal conspiracy" orchestrated by the ruling DMK - an accusation the Dravidian party vehemently denies.