Karur stampede: ‘Shoe hurled at Vijay much before he uttered my name’, says Senthil Balaji

DMK MLA and former Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji has rejected rumours of a power outage during the recent stampede in Karur, in which 41 people died, and said that footwear was thrown at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay much before he criticised him, as the crowd was trying to draw the actor-politician’s attention to the stampede unfolding right in front of his eyes.

Balaji’s statement comes after the TVK moved the court, alleging that insufficient police personnel were deployed for security at the Karur venue, and that the police instead created chaos at the meeting. The party has also alleged that the stampede broke out after a shoe was thrown at Vijay when he spoke about Balaji at the meeting.

Also read: Tamil Nadu govt counters Vijay's Karur stampede claims with 'details'

‘Lights weren’t switched off entirely’

Referring to TVK’s allegations of a power cut at the rally’s venue, which reportedly led to chaos and eventually resulted in a stampede, Balaji said that the lights were never completely switched off by the electricity board.

“Only the extra lights fixed by the organisers were turned off after the barricades near the generator room collapsed. The main street lights functioned throughout. Video evidence proves there was no power disruption,” Balaji told reporters.

On shoe-hurling incident

On the shoe-hurling incident, Balaji alleged that misinformation was being spread to suggest it was triggered by Vijay’s remarks about him. “That is completely false. The slipper was hurled six minutes into Vijay’s speech, well before my name was mentioned at the 16th minute. The chaos had already begun by then, and someone may have done it just to catch his attention,” he said.

Also read: Karur tragedy: Did TVK overlook cops' red flag?

He also accused the TVK of ignoring police warnings and failing in crowd management. “Even before Vijay began speaking, the situation was already spiralling out of control as his supporters followed him restlessly,” Balaji said, adding that if Vijay had arrived on time, the tragedy could have been avoided.

No basic facilities at venue: Balaji slams Vijay

Calling the stampede “an unprecedented tragedy in Karur,” Balaji thanked Chief Minister MK Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for personally meeting the victims. He stressed that political parties must act responsibly while planning rallies. “Karur Lighthouse Corner can hold only about 7,000 people, Uzhavar Sandhai about 5,000, but TVK packed the venue beyond safe limits,” he said.

Also read: How taxpayers end up paying for stampedes as parties shy away from insuring events

Balaji also hit out at the TVK for not providing even basic facilities. “After the rally, more than 2,000 slippers were found scattered. But did you see even one empty water bottle? Not even drinking water was arranged,” he remarked.

He said the government had done its duty by treating all victims. “So far, 108 injured have been discharged. Whoever is affected, the government will stand by them. But the political party failed in its responsibility.”