By South First Desk,Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam

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Delay in Vijay’s arrival caused stampede in Karur, says initial police assessment

Sources said that the lack of proper arrangements from the organisers, including basic amenities, proved costly.

Synopsis: Government sources said that the almost seven-hour delay of TVK chief Vijay’s function in Karur seemed to have caused the stampede that claimed 39 lives. Sources said that the lack of proper arrangements from the organisers, including basic amenities, proved costly.

Following the stampede that claimed 39 lives in the Karur district of Tamil Nadu during a political rally by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay, state government sources said on Sunday, 28 September, that the almost seven-hour delay of the function seemed to have caused the tragedy.

The event was scheduled to have been held at 12 noon, and a later announcement was made that the actor-turned-politician would arrive at 12.45 pm. However, Vijay arrived only around 7 pm.

Sources said that the lack of proper arrangements from the organisers, including basic amenities, proved costly. At least 39 people lost their lives in the incident — 13 men, 17 women, four boys, and five girls.

Also Read: TVK’s Vijay fails his first challenge as politician

Lack of crowd planning

In its application seeking permission to conduct the event, the organisers mentioned that “10,000 people would attend”. However, around 25,000–27,000 people gathered in Karur to have a glimpse of Vijay.

Government insiders added that the organisers failed to follow safety guidelines. Barricades and emergency exit points required for the crowd were not arranged, and a sufficient number of volunteers to guide the crowd in an orderly manner were not deployed.

Sources further said that no separate facilities were provided for children, elderly people, and women.

Initially, the TVK sought to conduct the event at the Uzhavar Sandhai Ground. However, the police rejected the permission, even after party members reportedly exerted pressure, since it is a highly congested area. Later, permission was granted to conduct the event at Velusamipuram, but the crowd size was not properly controlled.

Officials noted that basic amenities, including drinking water, first aid, and medical teams, were not arranged, adding that people were waiting from morning in the hot sun, which led to increased health problems.

Also Read: ‘More than twice the crowd, mismatched timing, inadequate facilities’

Chaos during Vijay’s arrival

Further, the anticipation and lack of information regarding Vijay’s arrival at the venue led people to rush in, creating an out-of-control situation.

After crossing the Thirukkambuliur junction, Vijay stayed inside his vehicle for about an hour with the interior light switched off so that people would not notice him.

Sources said the public, who were eagerly waiting on the roadside to see him, did not realise that Vijay was inside the vehicle and assumed that he had gone directly to the event venue.

Since most people could not see him, they kept moving as a crowd towards the event location. “This appears to be one of the reasons why the crowd surge increased and went out of control,” a source said.

Government sources noted that excessive advertisements, party flags and flex banners were installed at several locations in the city without permission.

(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)