Karur stampede: Political blame game continues amid TVK’s sabotage claim
Retired judge heading probe panel visits site of stampede and TVK moves court as the injured and kin of deceased struggle to come to terms with the tragedy
Nearly 24 hours after a stampede on Saturday (September 28) at the Karur election rally of TVK president Vijay turned deadly, the investigation into the tragedy triggered a war of words.
While the party accused the MK Stalin government in the state of not providing enough safety measures, the government and DMK partymen said the party organisers had made sub-par arrangements. There were talks of sabotage and conspiracy theories even as the injured people and the kin of the deceased struggled to come to terms with the tragedy.
Vijay on Sunday announced that Rs 20 lakh would be given to the families of those who lost their lives at the stampede.
Chief Minister Stalin expressed profound grief and ordered a high-level probe into the stampede. He announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh for the injured. Local police are investigating whether lapses in crowd management and emergency planning contributed to the high toll.
Read live updates here.
Live Updates
- 29 Sept 2025 10:42 AM IST
Death toll increases to 41
The death toll in the Karur stampede has increased to 41 after a woman died while receiving treatment in the intensive care unit. The 41 victims comprise 18 women, 13 men, 5 girls and 5 boys. Of the total casualties, 34 were from Karur district, 2 people each from Erode, Tiruppur and Dindigul districts and 1 person from Salem.
- 29 Sept 2025 7:48 AM IST
Madras High Court to hear TVK's plea for CBI probe today
Actor -politician Vijay's plea seeking an independent inquiry is expected to be heard by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court later in the day today. Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief on Sunday approached the court seeking Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the stampede at his Karur rally that claimed at least 40 lives on Saturday.
The TVK is being represented by Advocate S Arivazhagan who urged the court to take suo motu cognisance of the incident and ensure an impartial investigation. The plea stressed that only an independent agency could uncover the lapses that led to the large-scale loss of life during the party's public meeting.
- 28 Sept 2025 7:17 PM IST
Security beefed up outside Vijay's Chennai home
Security has been tightened outside TVK chief Vijay’s Chennai home after the stampede at his Karur rally left 40 dead and over a 100 injured. Apparently, the administration feels people may direct their anger at the actor-politician. Security has also reportedly been enhanced for all TVK district secretaries. (Photo: PTI)
- 28 Sept 2025 7:10 PM IST
There were hardly 100 cops on the ground, claims Annamalai
BJP leader K Annamalai says, "We clearly find fault with the local administration because it's very clear the government has to act as an honest broker... The government utterly failed yesterday... There were hardly 100 policemen on the ground... The complete responsibility and failure lie with the local and state administrations... TVK and Vijay also have to take responsibility for how the yatra was designed... For no more lives to be lost, Vijay and TVK have to rectify their mistakes, and the state government has to take 100% ownership for the utter failure of intelligence and deployment of manpower." - 28 Sept 2025 6:55 PM IST
Justice (Retd) Aruna Jagadeesan meets the injured
Retired High Court judge Aruna Jagadeesan meets those injured in the Karur stampede at the Government Medical College and Hospital. - 28 Sept 2025 6:52 PM IST
Just an accident; don’t want to make it political issue: TTV Dhinakaran
AMMK General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran says, “Yesterday, a sad incident happened in which 40 persons died. An elderly woman in the hospital is critical, according to doctors. In the future, such a sad tragedy should not happen, which is what the political party and the police should ensure and take as a lesson. Political parties should be more careful, and the police should also make sure no such loss of life happens. This is just an accident, and I don’t want to make it a political issue. We should all take responsibility to make sure such incidents do not happen in future in Tamil Nadu. I have not come as a political party leader but just as a common man. The Tamil Nadu government has been doing well on the stampede issue. Forming a one-member committee to inquire into the stampede issue is the right decision.” - 28 Sept 2025 6:46 PM IST
‘Repeated TVK failures ended in Karur stampede’: Lensman recalls ‘pattern of chaos’
All five TVK rallies had an alarming pattern — the presence of children in mammoth crowds, people fainting, unusable facilities, and zero crowd control, recalls The Federal cameraman Karunakaran B.
- 28 Sept 2025 6:42 PM IST
A rally that stole children, mothers and faith in a star
A father recounts losing his 18-month-old son in the crowd at Vijay's rally; a husband narrates how his wife wanted to catch one glimpse of Vijay and never came back; amid their grief and pain, victims' families express despair that TVK leader left Karur without consoling them. - 28 Sept 2025 6:36 PM IST
Annamalai outlines 3 key issues as reasons behind stampede
Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Saturday (September 27) visited the victims of the tragic stampede at a Vijay-led political rally in Velusamipuram, Karur district, consoling those undergoing treatment and expressing solidarity with their families.
Annamalai outlined three key issues as the reasons behind the stampede: poor venue selection, inadequate security, and Vijay’s choice of campaign days. “But I won’t blame Vijay,” he said.
- 28 Sept 2025 6:31 PM IST
DMK’s negligence behind Karur stampede: EPS
The TVK’s political rally in Karur on September 27 turned into one of Tamil Nadu’s darkest tragedies, claiming 40 lives. Opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami lashed out at the DMK government over the incident, accusing it of ignoring shocking lapses — from sudden power cuts to ambulances rushing in the middle of Vijay's speech. Some of the questions the AIADMK leader raised include: Did the government fail in its basic duty of public safety? Why was security so weak despite knowing the size of the crowd?
