Lalli, a 32-year-old homemaker, is consumed by guilt. She is unable to shake off the sensation that she failed to avoid wasting her nephew, Thuruvishnu, from being crushed to dying at a political rally final week.

On the night of September 27, 2025, a Saturday, Lalli carried the toddler in her arms and walked to the venue of the rally in Karur, a textile hub in Tamil Nadu. Her husband and their two kids went as properly. They have been excited to listen to the favored actor, Vijay, deal with the group as president of his fledgling political social gathering, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The rally was a part of the actor-turned-politician’s State-wide tour. Tamil Nadu is scheduled to have Meeting elections in 2026.

On the venue, the group saved swelling regardless of the warmth. Vijay arrived several hours late, and there was allegedly little safety in place. Many individuals fainted, whereas others tried to get nearer to Vijay’s car. Chaos erupted and the ensuing crowd crush left 41 people dead, including 10 babies, and injured greater than 100 folks. Many of the grownup victims have been aged 18-30.

“I assumed I may save him. This guilt will stick with me till I die,” says Lalli, who’s sitting with relations in Thuruvishnu’s home. The cries of the household echo by the home in Vadivel Nagar in Velusamypuram, barely 50 metres from the place Vijay addressed the group.

Lalli’s brother Vimal, a 25-year-old daily-wage employee, and his spouse Matheswari, 22, had Thuruvishnu two years after getting married. On the morning after the stampede, the couple performed the last rites of their 22 month-old son. He was the youngest to die within the stampede.

A lethal cocktail

For the folks of Velusamypuram, the place homes and textile retailers may be discovered on each side of the roads, the rally has left deep scars. Many residents insist that the catastrophe was neither unintended nor unforeseeable, and that it was the result of poor planning and official neglect.

Crowds had begun to assemble on the spot of the rally, scheduled to start at 3 p.m. on September 27, from the earlier night time. Younger males roamed the stretch placing up posters, stringing banners, and blaring TVK songs on loudspeakers.

“By round 10 a.m. on Saturday, many individuals had already arrived. By 3 p.m., site visitors couldn’t transfer by this street. And by night, there was merely no area for anybody to even flip,” says G. Sitharam, a resident.

Many imagine that the timing of the rally was poor. “Saturday night is when textile staff gather their wages in Karur. There’s already some rush at the moment. When you maintain a big political rally in such a congested pocket on the identical time, you’re simply asking for hassle,” says B. Balusamy, one other resident.

Vijay arrived late, say residents. Whilst hundreds of individuals waited to catch a glimpse of the actor, hundreds extra got here from neighbouring hamlets and districts.

“Had he saved to the schedule, folks would have left early. However he arrived after 7 p.m. The city was overflowing with folks by then,” says V. Balaji, a textile employee from Gowripuram in Karur city.

Additionally learn:Karur stampede: a package on the tragedy at Vijay’s TVK rally in Tamil Nadu

Residents additionally allege that they’d little entry to fundamental wants, particularly ingesting water. Karur has a sizzling, semi-arid local weather and whereas September marks the tip of the most well liked season, temperatures in the course of the day can soar to 37-38°C.

“Individuals stood within the solar for hours. I noticed kids faint, and boys climbing transformers simply to catch a glimpse of Vijay,” says G. Chitra, a homemaker and resident of Velusamypuram. “There was just one resort close by, which was open. However the meals there was too costly for staff and daily-wage households. Within the surrounding retailers, there was no meals obtainable.”

Lalli recollects the moments earlier than the stampede occurred. “When Vijay started to talk, there was an influence minimize, and the mic failed. The group grew stressed. I used to be holding Thuruvishnu in a single hand and my daughter within the different when somebody shoved us. I fell and he slipped from my arms.”

For 2 hours, a hapless Lalli, who was injured herself, searched the lanes, earlier than being admitted to the Karur Medical Faculty Hospital. She discovered solely the subsequent morning that her nephew had been discovered lifeless. Thuruvishnu’s father, Vimal, had recognised him in TV footage from the federal government hospital. He had rushed to the spot to seek out his son’s small physique on a stretcher.

A descent into chaos

Karur residents draw parallels with different current political gatherings, together with by the 2 primary events within the State — the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

Ok. Veeramani, a resident of Velusamypuram, says, “The DMK’s Mupperum Vizha drew a a lot bigger crowd. [Mupperum Vizha is a festival held in honour of icons of the Dravidian movement, such as Periyar and party founder C.N. Annadurai.] Nevertheless it was held close to the ring street, the place there may be area. Even the Opposition chief, Edappadi Palaniswami [of the AIADMK], addressed a gathering right here two days earlier with out incident. Why did this collapse into chaos?”

Contributors say hassle started when Vijay’s car began shifting by the group on one of many carriageways of the street with a median. His car inched its approach to the chosen spot, the place he was to deal with the gathering.

As folks, together with those that had been ready since morning, tried to get nearer to the car, a significant commotion broke out. Individuals have been pushed again and lots of misplaced their steadiness and fell on the street, say residents. Minutes after Vijay climbed on a makeshift stage atop his car, frantic folks tried to go away the realm any which approach, to avoid wasting their lives.

Amid this confusion, Vijay delivered a couple of minutes of his speech. The environment turned electrical when he broke right into a jingle, focusing on former State Minister V. Senthilbalaji in reference to a money-laundering case.

Photographs and movies that emerged later present folks throwing footwear in direction of the marketing campaign car whereas Vijay was talking. Some video clips confirmed lathi-wielding policemen charging at some folks within the crowd. On listening to the frantic cries of individuals within the crowd, Vijay tossed water bottles at them. A video additionally confirmed the actor pausing his speech when he noticed ambulances struggling to make their approach by the group.

It was solely when he appeared to grasp the magnitude of the state of affairs that Vijay minimize quick his speech. He shortly left the venue, went to Tiruchi, which is almost two hours away by street, and flew to Chennai on a chartered airplane; this drew a variety of criticism. He ignored journalists on the airport. Hours later, the actor posted on X, expressing grief over the incident and providing condolences to these killed.

In keeping with officers of the Karur Medical Faculty Hospital, 39 of the victims have been introduced in lifeless, whereas two others died later. A senior physician says the first explanation for dying was compressive asphyxia, triggered by intense strain on the chest in the course of the crowd surge. “Many individuals collapsed inside minutes of being caught within the crush,” the physician says, including that in some circumstances, he discovered rib and spinal fractures.

The First Info Report (FIR) registered by the Karur city police on September 27 says Vijay’s arrival was intentionally delayed so extra folks may come to the rally. It says the police warned TVK leaders of the cadre’s behaviour, however their warnings weren’t heeded. It additionally says that whereas the organisers had said that 10,000 folks would come, greater than 25,000 folks turned up on the rally.

The folks, who waited in giant numbers for a number of hours with out meals, water, and medical help, grew to become fatigued because of the warmth and crowding, which consequently led to a crush leading to a number of deaths, the FIR provides.

The police charged TVK’s Karur (west) district secretary V.P. Mathiyazhagan, social gathering normal secretary A ‘Bussy’ Anand, State joint normal secretary C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar and others beneath Sections 105 (culpable murder), 110 (try and commit culpable murder), 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant), and 125 (b) (endangering lifetime of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Part 3 of the Tamil Nadu Property (Prevention of Harm and Loss) Act, 1982. They’ve arrested Mathiyazhagan and central city secretary M.C. Pounraj and remanded them in judicial custody.

The blame sport

The tragedy, believed to be the primary of its sort in a political rally in India, drew nationwide consideration. As quickly as information of it broke, President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and leaders of assorted political events expressed grief and shock over the tragedy.

The State authorities responded swiftly, arranging medical assist and in a single day autopsies, and promptly handed over the our bodies to the grieving households. It additionally constituted a one-member Fee of Inquiry by retired Excessive Court docket Choose Aruna Jagadeesan to probe the tragedy.

Hours after the tragedy, Chief Minister M.Ok. Stalin flew all the way down to Tiruchi and drove to Karur previous midnight, to console the bereaved households and name on the injured. The federal government directed docs and specialists to the Karur Authorities Medical Faculty Hospital, to deal with the individuals who continued to reach in ambulances till late at night time.

He later gave an announcement saying, “No political social gathering chief would ever want for his or her followers or harmless civilians to die. When political events and public organisations conduct such occasions, it’s the obligation of all of us to determine guidelines on the way to act responsibly sooner or later.”

The following day, AIADMK normal secretary Palaniswami and a number of leaders of assorted political events additionally visited the injured on the hospital. Palaniswami blamed the police for failing to supply ample safety. Terming the probe panel an “eyewash”, he demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The TVK has moved the Madurai Bench of the Madras Excessive Court docket, additionally in search of a CBI inquiry into the tragedy.

The BJP constituted an eight-member delegation of Members of Parliament (MP) of the Nationwide Democratic Alliance, led by MP Hema Malini, to review the explanations for the stampede. The workforce visited Karur on September 30 and interacted with the survivors. They demanded an neutral probe led by a sitting choose of the Supreme Court docket. Malini advised reporters that the venue was “inappropriate” for a rally held for hundreds of individuals. She mentioned that each the organisers and the administration ought to be held accountable. A day earlier than the workforce visited the district, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman additionally visited Karur and consoled households who misplaced family members.

The incident has emerged as a rallying level for the TVK and the principle Opposition events, together with the AIADMK and the BJP, to carry the DMK authorities answerable for the tragedy. The State authorities has strongly refuted the costs made towards it.

Vijay, who has not but visited the grieving households or the injured being handled in hospitals, issued a video assertion three days after the tragedy. “As a human being, how may I depart the place when so many individuals have been affected? I selected to not go there instantly solely to keep away from the danger of any additional unexpected incidents,” he mentioned. He additionally addressed the Chief Minister and advised him with a dramatic flourish to “take revenge towards him, and spare the TVK cadre”.

What the police say

The police say Velusamypuram is commonly recognized by political events as a location for public conferences. In keeping with S. Davidson Devasirvatham, Further Director Normal of Police, Regulation and Order, the organisers had initially sought permission for the rally on the gentle home roundabout. This was denied on the grounds that it was not an acceptable location to carry a gathering. A day later, they sought permission on the Uzhavar Sandhai. They have been denied permission once more, on the grounds that the situation was slim. Lastly, they have been allotted Velusamypuram, and the organisers consented to this.

Karthick from Erode district, who is likely one of the survivors, is essential of the police. “Just a few policemen have been standing alongside the aspect of the street. Lots of the policemen have been posted within the outer ring of the assembly spot, solely to manage the site visitors,” he says. “Solely round 10-15 policemen have been strolling alongside or in entrance of the car. The tragedy may have been prevented if extra policemen had been posted on the assembly spot and a big venue had been supplied.”

Dismissing the accusations, Devasirvatham says there was ample safety in place. The police deployment was in a ratio of 1:20 (police-public), he says. As the group swelled, Devasirvatham says extra policemen have been known as in from the neighbouring districts.

A policeman on the situation of anonymity says the state of affairs brought on panic, even among the many police. “I noticed an individual attempt to get a glimpse of the actor and slip and fall close to his car. The group trampled over him. Many individuals, who grew to become drained and dehydrated, fell down on the street, solely to be crushed by others. Nobody got here ahead to avoid wasting the injured. Everyone was centered solely on catching a glimpse of Vijay.” He says he lifted up seven folks trapped within the crowd. Of them, he laments that he may save just one.

Whereas some blame the DMK and others blame Vijay for the tragedy, for many individuals, grief has not changed into anger towards the actor. Sanjay, who misplaced his 7-year-old brother S. Kirthikyadav within the crowd crush, feels the actor can’t be held absolutely accountable. “Thalapathy [the honorific name popularly used for Vijay] would by no means have wished this for us. If it had been in his management, he would have stopped it. He would by no means permit one thing like this to occur to any of us,” he says.

Lalli, too, echoes the sentiment. “We’re Vijay’s followers. He’s like household to us,” she says.

Neela, Thiruvishnu’s aunt, sits in addition to Matheswari. She says the mom, who suffers a speech and listening to impairment, is in shock. “The ache in her eyes says all of it.”