A political rally by actor-turned-politician Vijay in Karur, about 400 km from Chennai, turned into tragedy on Saturday when a stampede claimed 36 lives, including eight children. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin confirmed that 16 women were among the victims, making it one of the state’s worst recent disasters.
Vijay, who leads the fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), expressed his anguish, saying he was shattered and in “unbearable pain” over the incident.
The stampede occurred around 7:30 pm when the crowd, which had been waiting since the afternoon to catch a glimpse of Vijay, surged forward as he addressed them from atop his campaign vehicle. Witnesses said several people fainted in the packed gathering, many of them women and children, leading to panic.
Chief Minister Stalin convened an emergency review meeting with senior officials at the Secretariat and announced a Commission of Inquiry headed by retired judge Justice Aruna Jagadeesan. He also declared an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh each for the families of the deceased and directed ministers Ma Subramanian, Anbil Mahesh, and the Karur District Collector to provide immediate assistance. Stalin himself is scheduled to visit Karur.
Condolences poured in from across the political spectrum. President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief, with Modi calling the incident “deeply saddening” and praying for the injured. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Governor R.N. Ravi and Stalin, assuring central assistance, while the Home Ministry sought a detailed report from the state government.
Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, BJP chief J.P. Nadda, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, and film icons Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth also conveyed their sympathies.
Avoiding the waiting media at Tiruchirappalli and Chennai airports, Vijay later took to X to share his sorrow. “My heart is broken. I am in unbearable, inexplicable grief,” he wrote, praying for the recovery of the injured and offering condolences to the families of “my dear brothers and sisters killed in Karur.”
Meanwhile, Karur town was gripped by scenes of anguish—families desperately searching for missing relatives, women weeping inconsolably, and hospitals struggling to manage the influx of victims.
The DMK, meanwhile, blamed Vijay for the chaos that led to the tragedy.
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