During the rally of actor -turned -politician Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu, there was a sudden stampede on Saturday night, killing 31 people and many people were injured. Former state minister and DMK leader V. Senthil Balaji reached Karur’s Government Medical College and Hospital on Saturday night. Here he shared the latest information about the accident.
Senthil Balaji told that so far 31 people have died in the stampede. At the same time, 58 people are injured and are admitted in hospitals. Balaji further told that at present 46 people are admitted in private hospitals and 12 people are admitted to government hospitals. Chief Minister MK Stalin himself is going to come to Karur on Sunday and will take stock of the situation.
All kinds of discussions are happening about such a big incident. The question is arising in the minds of the people, why and how did the stampede happen in this rally?
Crowd over capacity
According to police sources, more crowds gathered at Vijay’s rally in Karur than the initial estimate. While the administration had allowed about 30,000 people to join, local reports claimed that about 60,000 people reached the venue. The venue had already been replaced once. Originally the rally was to be held in Madhya Karur, but the police warned of congestion and traffic -related dangers, after which it was transferred.
Panic spread in the dark as soon as the power failure
The rally started at Valusamipuram at around 7:20 pm. According to eyewitnesses, Vijay was giving a speech, then suddenly electricity went away and the whole ground drowned in darkness. As dark crowd spread in the thick crowd, there was chaos and people started fleeing in panic. Meanwhile, many people fell buried and an accident happened.
Crowd and ventilation increased trouble
Officials say that the pressure of the crowd and the poor ventilation worsened the situation after the power cut. A crowd of thousands started moving together, which affected the children and the elderly the most. Many people fainted, whom parents and volunteers were seen carrying out.
It was difficult to make way for emergency services
After the incident, the police force led by the Superintendent of Police of Karur reached the spot. The crowd was so much that there was a lot of difficulty in making way for ambulances and police vehicles. The injured were eventually opened and rushed to the hospital. News agency
Administration and government response
Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed grief over the incident and ordered an emergency response. On his instructions, ministers Ambil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and Ma Subramaniam reached Karur and monitored relief and medical work. Additional Director General of Police also reviewed the situation.
Questions raised on security arrangements
Later, the crowd was dispersed after the electricity was restored. But this incident has raised a big question as to why there is not enough preparation for security and mob management in such a large scale political events. Vijay’s party has not yet received any official reaction from Tamil Nadu Vatri Kazhagam (TVK).