The stampede at actor Vijay’s rally in Karur has brought forth devastating accounts, highlighting the profound loss of life. The tragic event resulted in 40 fatalities, including youngsters and senior citizens, and infants. Eighteen-month-old Hari Vishnu was the youngest among the victims of the stampede. In the wake of the incident, Vishnu’s father is struggling to cope with his grief, while his mother is in a state of shock, appearing unable to communicate or respond. Vishnu was accompanied to the rally by his aunt, who lives in Velusamy Nagar. The area’s main road was filled with a large crowd. Jayashree, Vishnu’s grandmother, shared the family’s ordeal. She mentioned that the family members who went to the rally are at the government hospital, where her grandson died. The news of his death was broken to the family when they saw his image on television.
The scene at the rally ground, marked by scattered shoes and party flags, is a stark reminder of the tragedy. Among the 40 casualties were 17 women and nine children. A couple who were looking forward to their wedding in October also died in the stampede. A family’s only provider, and children like Vishnu, were lost, leaving behind nothing but grief for their relatives. The stampede at actor Vijay’s Karur rally occurred when he arrived with a considerable delay. More than 25,000 people were already present when he reached the site. His arrival caused the crowd to become unmanageable, leading to the stampede. The incident is being attributed to insufficient organization by his party, Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), as well as a lack of adequate police resources for crowd control.