Almost three weeks after the stampede in Karur that tragically resulted in 41 fatalities and left several others injured, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin addressed the State Assembly regarding the tragedy on Wednesday, October 15.
"The Karur tragedy has deeply shaken the hearts of people across Tamil Nadu. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pay my deepest respects to those who lost their lives,” Stalin told the House.
The stampede occurred on September 27 during a rally organised by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and a public meeting featuring party chief, actor-turned-politician Vijay. The Chief Minister alleged that the lack of proper arrangements and basic amenities from the organisers proved disastrous.
Stalin stated that TVK failed to make any essential arrangements for the gathering. “Before the crowd crush in Karur, no ambulance was there. Only after the crowd surge occurred and people needed help were ambulances called in — they came to save lives. No fake ambulances were brought in,” he said.
Noting the late arrival of Vijay, Stalin added: “The leader of the TVK arrived seven hours late. Due to the crowd congestion, the police had instructed that the speech be delivered a few metres ahead of the designated place, but that instruction was not followed.” The event was scheduled for 12 noon, with a later announcement that the politician would arrive at 12.45 pm; however, Vijay did not arrive until approximately 7 pm.
Addressing the claim that the power supply was cut, Stalin explained that due to the crowd surge, people had entered the area where the generator was placed, and the operator himself turned off the power supply to prevent the public from being electrocuted.
Stalin defended the security arrangements, stating that additional personnel had been deployed compared to the usual security assigned for political campaign meetings. “A total of 606 personnel were deployed for security duty, including three Additional Superintendents of Police, Deputy Superintendents, Inspectors, Sub-Inspectors, and Armed Reserve police personnel,” he detailed.
He contrasted the tragedy with a previous event: “The AIADMK had held a meeting at the same venue in Karur just two days earlier, where the crowd had gathered and dispersed in an orderly manner. In stark contrast, what happened during the TVK meeting was completely different.” He also alleged that TVK members attacked ambulances while rescue operations were in full swing.
Affirming the state's response, Stalin noted that the government handled the incident appropriately in accordance with the law. “Guidelines for political parties’ public meetings are being prepared. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has ordered that this case be handed over to the CBI. Abiding by the interim order of the Supreme Court, the case has been handed over to the CBI. The Tamil Nadu government will act in accordance with the final verdict.” He also confirmed that the post-mortem examinations were completed swiftly, with the first starting at 1.45 am on September 28th and the 39th completed by 1.10 pm the same day.
Following the Chief Minister’s speech, Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami held the government responsible for the tragedy and raised several doubts, leading to a noisy exchange in the House. In response, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Ministers began referring to the 2018 Thoothukudi police firing incident, after which Edappadi Palaniswami and AIADMK members staged a walkout from the Assembly.
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