Karur stampede: ‘We were assaulted, accused of sabotage’, say ambulance drivers

On September 17, Eeswaran Murthy, an ambulance driver in Karur, had not wasted a single moment once police requested him and other private ambulance drivers to rush to the venue of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally, and immediately ferry injured attendees, who had collapsed or were gasping for air, to the nearest hospitals.

But, little did Eeswaran know that his sincere efforts would be rewarded with suspicion – while trying to negotiate his way through the narrow streets of Veluswamypuram to pick up the injured the second time around, he was heckled and attacked by a group of people who accused him of distracting the crowd and trying to disrupt the event.

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Went in to help, were accused of sabotage

Thousands of spectators had thronged the Karur venue to hear their beloved actor and politician Vijay speak from atop his bus. But the excitement soon faded away as a deadly stampede broke out, leaving 41 dead and over 100 injured. As no ambulances were kept on standby, police had to reach out to private ambulance drivers parked at the nearest hotspots, requesting them to rush to the venue to pick up the injured. However, many, like Eeswaran, say they arrived at the spot to save lives, but were accused of trying to sabotage the event.

The linking of ambulance drivers with sabotage attempts by political parties is not new. AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami recently alleged that ambulance drivers were being deliberately sent to disrupt his campaign rallies.

'Cops alerted us minutes into Vijay’s speech'

“We were all sitting inside our vehicles when a police jeep pulled up. The officer urged us to rush to the rally spot, telling us that there was an emergency. Two ambulances started ahead of me, and I followed. Soon, more joined from Namakkal, Trichy, even Vellakovil. They said there was a shortage, so they called us from everywhere,” Eeswaran says.

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It was around 7:15 pm. Just as TVK chief Vijay began his speech, the calls started coming, says Eeswaran.

Balaji, owner of Sai Ambulance Services, who saw the stampede unfold before his eyes says it started exactly at 7.10 pm. "This footage shows it starting," he says, showing a clip to this reporter, in which Vijay is seen climbing atop his vehicle to address the gathering.

“People started fainting one by one after that. Vijay even mentioned a missing child over the mic, but by then, people on the far right had collapsed when the sheds and metal sheets gave way."

Balaji, who went to hear Vijay with his wife, says both of them were caught in the crowd, and the panic that broke out was scary.

“I held my hands around her as the crowd pushed us. Beside us were two girls and a young boy—the pressure was uncontrollable," he says.

‘More people crushed after Vijay stopped speech’

Suriya, another driver from Sai Ambulance Services, who also attended the rally, says he was just 10 feet from Vijay when the speech began. "After 15 minutes, the crowd from the bypass road moved into the narrow path to get closer to Vijay’s bus," he said. "All we could see was a sea of heads. Some were lying on the roadside gasping for air. The locals tried to give them water and move them to safety. It was utter mayhem,” Suriya recalls.

Balaji says the situation worsened as Vijay wrapped up his speech midway and his bus inched away from the spot.

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Followers chased Vijay's vehicle for selfies, trampling those in their path. "People fell into the sanitary ditch with their children. We couldn't see who was down. We would realise only after stepping on someone. It was a heart-wrenching sight, and I even saw a bystander lifting a severely injured child from the ground, desperately searching for an ambulance that wasn't there," added Balaji.

‘Clogged roads made navigation difficult’

Karur Deputy Superintendent of Police Selvaraj told The Federal that he alerted the police personnel at 7.15 pm to summon help and clear alternative routes, even allowing passage through one-way routes. The 108 GVK EMRI ambulance service got its first call at 7.14 pm for three injured persons, dispatching units swiftly. A Karur Fire Station ambulance arrived by 7:20 pm, followed by another from Karur Medical College at 7.23 pm. But network glitches severed contact with callers, and the single Karur-Erode road was clogged with bodies and vehicles. It took precious time for ambulance drivers to navigate the five kilometres to the hospital.

Watch: ‘Will go home only after seeing Vijay’: Karur stampede victim told father before death

‘We were attacked, our vehicles vandalised’

With no ambulances pre-stationed at the venue, despite warnings of a massive turnout as early as 10 am, the response relied on scattered units from hotspots. The emergency centre mobilised 25 ambulances, including ones with advanced life support, from Karur and beyond.

The fire station vehicle carried five critical cases, and the one from the medical college transported five, including two who died en route. Private drivers like Eeswaran filled the gap, but paid dearly. On his second trip, as he drove towards patients in the streets, a mob confronted him.

"They quarrelled with me, asking me why I was coming back unnecessarily," he said. "They snatched my keys, broke the vehicle’s door and windows, and even hit me. We were there to pick up the injured, but they wouldn't let us speak or get down,” Eeswaran added.

“Four or five ambulances were similarly immobilised, and their drivers fled to safety. The people who attacked us said we were disrupting the rally. But we were only helping. If they'd stopped us earlier, more lives would have been lost," he said.

Also read: Karur stampede: TVK postpones Vijay's public meetings for two weeks

‘Ambulances driven away, no network to hail more’

During the rally, Vijay was himself throwing water bottles to the affected people from an Innova car.

“One person climbed up to tell him there was something wrong on the right side. But as the bus departed, the stampede intensified, blocking ambulance access. Drivers on repeat runs used sirens to push through, only to face attacks at three spots. Their keys and mobile phones were snatched too. There was no network to call for help for more ambulances,” says Eeswaran.

He says ambulances, which were on the spot managed to overload injured persons with each ferrying four to five people to Karur Medical College and private hospitals like Amaravati and Akshaya.

“The ambulances managed to admit over 60-70 victims in this way. How can five ambulances handle such a massive crowd? These drivers came from other cities, risking their lives to help,” says Eeswaran.

Also read: Karur stampede exposes ugly face of roadshow politics; is anyone listening?

Why no ambulances on standby?

Drivers like Eeswaran wonder why no prior request was made to station ambulances for the event despite warnings about a crowd surge as early as 10 am.

Typically, gatherings of 10,000 require four to five ambulances, arranged through the Joint Director of Health Services.

TVK cadres claim they had arranged some private ambulances, but they were not enough for the massive crowd that eventually turned up.

Meanwhile, allegations that some ambulances lacked number plates have fuelled sabotage claims, which is currently being probed. All the ambulance service providers have been asked to appear before the inquiry panel on October 4, as part of the investigation.

“I carried four to five injured persons in one go and made around three trips to the hospital. We went for a genuine cause, to help those in need, but we were put under suspicion. We hope the truth comes out and people don't treat us with mistrust," Kavin, another ambulance driver, told The Federal.

For Murthy, Balaji, Suriya, Kavin, and the families mourning losses, the night was full of horror and helplessness. As Karur slowly moves on after the tragedy, the incident leaves behind stark lessons on better crowd control, pre-planned emergencies, and an end to the ‘ambulance politics’ that turned saviours into suspects.