Chennai air show deaths: BJP slams MK Stalin, says ‘rules only for family’
TN BJP chief Annamalai questioned the ruling DMK for failure to ensure basic arrangements for thousands of people who thronged the famous Marina beach.
Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai blamed the Tamil Nadu government for the deaths of four people during the Chennai air show on Sunday, saying it didn't make proper arrangements for thousands of people who visited the Marina beach to watch the event.
Five people have lost their lives so far, and several hundred are reportedly injured due to chaos that ensued due to overcrowding, heat stroke and lack of other basic arrangements at the venue.
"I was shocked to hear that 5 people died due to crowding and more than 200 people were injured and admitted to the hospital for treatment during the IAF 'AIR Show' program held at Chennai Marina Beach. The only reason for this is that the DMK government has not taken care of the safety of the public without providing basic facilities and adequate transport arrangements for the public who came to witness the IAF Air Show," Annamalai wrote in a post on social platform X.
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He said the tragedy cannot be passed off as an “accident” and this shows the "complete failure of chief minister MK Stalin's administration.
Attacking MK Stalin, Annamalai asked why the chief minister could not ensure proper arrangements for big events like this when he could ensure the same for events that promote himself.
"I strongly condemn chief minister MK Stalin and the DMK government for ruling only for his family and without any concern for the lives of the people, which has caused the death of 5 persons and the misery of hundreds of families. The Chief Minister must be answerable to the public on this matter," he said.
Earlier, Opposition leader and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami also condemned the DMK over the incident. "This pains me. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. My strong condemnation of the DMK government for failing to properly coordinate even such an important event. My strong condemnation to this MK Stalin government for failing to provide proper security for this event," he said.
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IAF's Air Show
The event was organised by the IAF to mark the upcoming Indian Air Force Day on October 8. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Deputy CM Udhyanidhi Stalin, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, and a large number of spectators gathered to witness the show.
Thousands of people tried reaching Marina Beach on time to witness the event scheduled between 11 am to 1 pm. This led to widespread traffic jams across the city and sub-urban trains leading to the beach were also overflowing with people, leading to chaos.
While officials could not ascertain the cause of deaths at the show, reports suggested that the deaths were likely due to dehydration and exhaustion.
"More than 50 people are in various hospitals after they complained of dehydration and exhaustion. More than 100 were given first aid at hospitals across the city,” a government official said requesting anonymity.
(With inputs from agencies)