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TVK promised Vijay would arrive at noon, he came 7 hours later: Cops on Karur stampede
Police said that Vijay's party had made a post on X stating that he would arrive at the Karur rally at 12 noon, but he actually arrived at 7.40 pm.
Actor-politician Vijay's party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) had announced that the leader would arrive for his rally in Karur at 12 noon on Saturday, but arrived over seven hours later, Tamil Nadu DGP G Venkataraman said on Sunday.
Giving out details about the incident, the top cop said that Vijay's party TVK had made a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that Vijay would arrive at the rally at 12 noon, but he actually arrived at 7.40 pm, leaving the attendees waiting without food and water under the scorching sun.
After TVK's announcement of Vijay's arrival time, his supporters started gathering from 11 am, even when the event was scheduled from 3pm. “Permission (for the meeting) was sought for between 3 pm-10 pm. The TVK Twitter account said he will come at 12 and crowd started coming in from 11 AM. He came at 7.40 pm. The people lacked sufficient food water under the hot sun,” PTI quoted Tamil Nadu DGP G Venkataraman as saying.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, S. Davidson Devasirvatham added that the death toll from the stampede in Karur stands at 39.
The incident, described as a “stampede-like crush” by the district administration, occurred at Velusamypuram on the Karur–Erode highway in Tamil Nadu, where thousands had gathered for Vijay’s ‘Velicham Veliyeru’ ('Let There Be Light') campaign meeting. He was addressing the audience when chaos broke out, forcing him to halt his speech.
Also read | Police say Vijay's late arrival led crowds to swell: What caused Karur stampede?
Vijay's delayed arrival and uncontrolled crowd
The crowd swelled due to the delayed arrival of the actor-politician to the venue and they lacked sufficient food and water during the waiting hours under the hot sun, Venkataraman said noting that the crowd saw a steep surge after the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of Vijay's TVK party mentioned that he would arrive at the meeting venue by 12 noon.
While some eyewitnesses argued that stricter safety measures should have been undertaken, police said that while the organisers asked for a venue anticipating a crowd of 10,000, about 27,000 people turned up to have a glimpse of the actor-politician.
Follow live updates | TVK Vijay Rally Stampede Live Updates: Post-mortem, handover of victims' bodies to be completed by noon
“We are just stating facts”
DGP Venkataraman said that police protection was in place anticipating around 20,000 people. “Our intention is not to blame anyone, but we are just stating the facts,” the head of police force added.
When he was asked whether “only 500” police personnel were on bandobast duty, he affirmed that the meeting venue was a public road and more police cover would have meant people would not have sufficient space.
Presently ADGP (Law and Order), Davidson Devasirvatham, 3 Inspector General of Police, 2 DIGs, 10 SPs and 2000 police personnel have left for Karur, Venkataraman added.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
