Karur stampede: Why child safety laws failed at Vijay’s rally
Over 40 people, including 11 children, died in the Karur stampede at Vijay’s rally. Why does Tamil Nadu lack safeguards to protect minors at political events?
The tragic stampede at actor and TVK chief Vijay’s rally in Karur has claimed more than 40 lives, including 11 children. Experts say this may be one of the deadliest stampedes linked to a political campaign in India.
Among the victims was an 18-month-old, Guru Vishnu, who lived just two streets away from the rally site. The Federal has found that the Tamil Nadu Child Rights Commission has no specific guidelines to protect children at political gatherings. The only existing framework comes from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which issued safety protocols in 2017 for large events like fairs.
Child rights activists argue that the state’s silence on this issue is deeply concerning and reflects a systemic gap in safeguarding minors at mass gatherings.
Also Read: Karur stampede: YouTuber Felix Gerald arrested for spreading 'fake news'
Civil society concerns
Andrew Sesuraj, member of the Tamil Nadu State Commission on Special Services for Children, told The Federal, “Civil society has long been flagging the presence of children at political shows.”
He added that children have also been spotted at recent roadshows, including those addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai. Despite repeated warnings, no concrete measures have been taken to ensure child safety.
Also Read: Karur stampede: TVK district secretary Mathiyazhagan arrested
What the law says
The Juvenile Justice Act clearly outlines child safety responsibilities. Section 75 of the Act states that if children are knowingly placed in unsafe situations by parents, organisers, or political leaders, it constitutes a criminal offence.
Punishments under this provision can include imprisonment and fines. In cases where negligence results in a child’s death or serious injury, the guilty may face up to 10 years in prison.
Also Read: Hema Malini-led NDA delegation to visit Karur; 'to look into circumstances that caused stampede'
Lack of accountability
Despite these legal safeguards, no political leader, event organiser, or parent has ever been booked under this law for exposing children to unsafe political gatherings. The Karur stampede has once again highlighted this gap between law and enforcement.
Unless political events are brought under strict child protection mechanisms, children will continue to face life-threatening risks at large rallies and gatherings.
(The content above has been transcribed using a fine-tuned AI model. To ensure accuracy, quality, and editorial integrity, we employ a Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) process. While AI assists in creating the initial draft, our experienced editorial team carefully reviews, edits, and refines the content before publication. At The Federal, we combine the efficiency of AI with the expertise of human editors to deliver reliable and insightful journalism.)
