By Manjiri Joshi,News18,Poornima Murali

Copyright news18

How did the Karur rally by actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay in Karur on Saturday turn into a stampede that left 39 dead? Was it the five-hour delay or the switched off car light that made the crowds swell?
News18 accessed the assessment of Tamil Nadu government sources on what exactly may have gone wrong at the rally.
Five-hour delay: The TVK had announced that he will arrive at 12:45 pm, but it got delayed by more than five hours. Then came the even longer wait for his speech to start, which seems to have been the main reason for the tragedy, they said.
ALSO READ | Security Beefed Up At Actor Vijay’s Chennai Home After Tamil Nadu Rally Stampede
Switched off light: The light inside Vijay’s vehicle was switched off and he went inside without being visible to the public. This was an additional reason for the crowd surge in Karur. 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. 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. As 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, they said.

#TamilNadu | TVK alleges sabotage attempt at Karur rally
Claims opposition parties sent empty ambulances to disrupt the event, leading to a tragic stampede. Investigation underway against party district secretary V P Mathiyazhagan. @nimumurali speaks to a witness | #WATCH! pic.twitter.com/YCHHqSrbqz
— News18 (@CNNnews18) September 28, 2025

Violation of permission conditions
The initially requested venue (Lighthouse Roundabout, Uzhavar Sandhai Ground) was a highly congested area, so the police rejected it. However, party members exerted pressure to obtain permission.
Even after the permission was granted for the Velusamipuram location, the crowd size was not properly controlled.
In the application, it was mentioned that “10,000 people would attend”, but around 25,000-27,000 people gathered.
Failure to follow safety guidelines

Barricades and emergency exit points required for the crowd were not arranged.
A sufficient number of volunteers to guide the crowd in an orderly manner were not deployed.
No separate facilities were provided for children, elderly people, and women.

Failure to provide basic amenities

Drinking water, first aid, and medical teams were not arranged.
People were waiting from morning in the hot sun, which led to increased health problems.
Excessive advertisements / flex boards: Party flags and flex banners were installed at many places in the city without permission.

Obstruction to traffic and public

Fans formed convoys of vehicles in front of and behind Vijay’s vehicle, blocking the roads.
Public transportation was disrupted.
Dangerous behaviour: Some people climbed nearby trees to see Vijay, and when branches broke and fell, crowd surges and suffocation occurred.
Even after the branches fell, no safety or crowd control measures were taken.

#BreakingNews | PM Modi announces ₹2 lakh Ex-Gratia for karur stampede victims & ₹50 thousand for those injured@nimumurali shares more details#Pmmodi #TVKVijay #TVKCampaign #tvkstampede #TamilNadu | @Sukanya_says pic.twitter.com/brP02Xz0HX
— News18 (@CNNnews18) September 28, 2025

Failure to learn from incidents in past events
Despite previous incidents of suffocation, fainting, and injuries in Trichy, Ariyalur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Namakkal, precautionary measures were not taken.
Cases filed
Cases have been filed against TVK district secretary Mathiazhagan, TVK leaders Bussy Anand and CT
Nirmal Kumar
The cases have been filed under:
BNS Section 105: Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
BNS Section 110: Attempt to commit culpable homicide.
BNS Section 125: Punishment for acts of rashness or negligence endangering human life.
BNS Section 223: Disobedience to an order issued by a public authority is an offence.
TNPPDL Act Section 3: Damage to public property

#BreakingNews | TVK chief Vijay announces ₹20 lakh for families of deceased in Karur Stampede@nimumurali shares more details#TVKVijay #TVKCampaign #tvkstampede #TamilNadu | @Sukanya_says pic.twitter.com/icL2WMZnBl
— News18 (@CNNnews18) September 28, 2025

Vijay on Sunday announced that Rs 20 lakh would be given to the families of those who lost their lives. The actor-politician said he is deeply anguished over the incident, which claimed more than 30 lives and left many others injured. “It is not a huge amount for the loss you have suffered. I know your loss cannot be replaced. It is an irreparable loss. However, it is my duty to stand next to you in this hour and share your grief,” he said.
He added that he would pray for the speedy recovery of those injured and assured that his party men would provide all possible support those undergoing treatment in hospitals.
With PTI Inputs