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Chennai ECR came to a standstill on Sunday due to AR Rahman’s concert titled Marakuma Nenjam. Many fans who had bought tickets for thousands of rupees could not enter the premises. On top of that, the enormous crowd caused panic, suffocation, and immense stress to children and old fans, according to reports and tweets.
The concert was held in Adityaram Palace City in East Coast Road, Chennai on Sunday evening. Though many had come as early as 4 pm, they weren’t able to get a seat. Priyanka, one of the fans who attended the event, spoke to The Indian Express and said, “There were two sides to the concert. Most of the fans didn’t know about the side I was sitting in. I was on the left to AR Rahman. So, many kept crowding on the other side, leading to a stampede of sorts. About six to seven seats around me were vacant on my side of the concert.”
She added, “The way to Golden and Silver gate was through a small lane, which was about two kilometres from the parking. And when the concert ended, imagine 50,000 people trying to get out of the same small lane. On top of that, the two-wheeler exit was also in the same lane. It was badly organised.”
Many Twitter users also claimed that women were molested at the event. Speaking to regional news channels, fans said that many families lost their children in the crowd and were searching for them in desperation. A fan said, “I saw a mom who was separated from her children, and the space between them was just 100 meters, but she couldn’t reach them due to the crowd. Both the mom and the children were in tears. Thankfully, my friends and I saw this, and we helped them out.”
Many blamed AR Rahman for choosing to work with ACTC Events, which came under fire similarly for the AR Rahman concert conducted in Coimbatore.
Many users called the event a big scam. It is also said that the event management company oversold the tickets, leading to the unavailability of seats.
See reactions from last night’s AR Rahman Concert:
While there has been heavy criticism online for the event, ACTC Events has only responded with a generic tweet that doesn’t address many questions raised by fans. The tweet of the organisers read, “Grateful to Chennai and the legendary @arrahman Sir! The incredible response, the overwhelming crowd made our show a massive success. Those who couldn’t attend on overcrowding, Our sincere apologies. We take full responsibility and accountable. We are with you (sic).”
While AR Rahman has been slammed by many for the poorly organised events, the composer is yet to address the criticism.
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