Karur stampede: Political blame game continues amid TVK’s sabotage claim

"It is deeply saddening and painful. Incidents of people losing their lives in crowd crushes continue to occur in India. Those who organised the event seem to have been negligent. It must be noted that the organisers lacked the administrative capacity to control the crowd... Whether the police were properly deployed for security will only be known after the inquiry. The lack of second-tier leaders and administrators in TVK is what led to this tragedy. I have no doubt about the public support they enjoy. My doubt is only about whether there is leadership...," says Congress MP Karti Chidambaram.

Mounds of shoes and chappals, crushed water bottles, torn TVK party flags, pieces of clothes, broken poles, shreds of paper sprayed from party poppers and striking garbage of all sorts at the venue on Sunday only served as a reminder of the tragic incident the evening before.

Several people had their own claims about the reason behind the stampede, and it is not clear what went wrong; whether it was the choice of the venue or overcrowding, which is being witnessed ever since Vijay launched his state-wide tour on September 13.

A young man, among the crowd at the stampede spot, who managed to safely get out, claimed that several people were pushed to a “low-lying sewerage” close to the road margin as many tried to get out at the same time. He regretted that what began as a “celebration time” to hail their beloved matinee idol ended in tragedy.

“As fans were chanting Vijay’s name, several did not realize that it was a stampede and that people fell down. Many who happened to place their legs on people who fell down also tripped over them,” he told reporters.

At the venue, people pushed away the tin sheets used as barricades and to make enclosures, and many who climbed on to thatched roof structures nearby fell down and suffered injuries. Almost at the same time, police baton-charged to control the situation.

However, people, including children, who were caught in the crowd and fell down, could not comprehend what was happening.

A senior citizen in his 70s said he has never seen so many people getting killed in a stampede at a political party’s event and blamed the youths for their overenthusiasm to somehow take a look at the actor.

Staff at the Karur government hospital themselves were rattled by the ceaseless siren of ambulances bringing injured people. Policemen pitched in by carrying the victims to the wards. Visuals of inconsolable men and women holding motionless children shook hearts.

Police repeated lathi-charge nearly an hour following the stampede to chase away the remaining crowds from the venue. Following the stampede, Vijay left the venue and did not meet reporters waiting at Tiruchirappalli and Chennai airports.

Retired High Court judge Aruna Jagadeesan, appointed by the state government for a detailed inquiry into the Karur stampede, arrives in Trichy.

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) President Thol. Thirumavalavan says, "This is an unbearable tragedy. More than 40 people have died in this stampede... The chief minister of Tamil Nadu arrived here (Karur) immediately at midnight and met all the victims, consoled them, and issued an order to provide compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to all affected families. I commend our chief minister for his prompt action... I request the Election Commission to formulate guidelines for all political parties to conduct election campaigns within certain limits... I request the Tamil Nadu government to increase the compensation for the victims."

India mourns the Karur stampede that occurred during TVK campaign. The Federal captures emotional moments from ground zero. What actually happened? Who is to blame for the tragedy?