Three days after a stampede at actor-politician Vijay’s rally in Karur killed 41 people, the Tamil Nadu government fielded its top civil servants and police officers on Tuesday evening to push back against the swirl of conspiracy theories, allegations of mismanagement, and rising anger from the star’s supporters. At a press conference in Chennai, Additional Chief Secretary P Amudha, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Davidson Devasirvatham, and Health Secretary P Senthilkumar presented a detailed defence of the administration’s handling of the tragedy. Their remarks came just hours after Vijay released a video statement – mournful yet defiant – in which he accused the government of targeting his party cadre and directly challenged Chief Minister M K Stalin to arrest him, not his party men or sympathisers. Officials began by addressing criticism over the venue. The stampede spot, Velusamypuram, they said, had been chosen after police and organisers reviewed seven possible sites. Other suggested locations, such as the Lighthouse Roundabout, were rejected because of hazards like a petrol station and an open canal. Velusamypuram had hosted a rally of 15,000 people earlier without incident. The TVK’s application estimated 10,000 attendees. Anticipating more, police deployed 500 personnel under the supervision of the ADGP. “But many more people came into the town along with his convoy,” Amudha said. The government also displayed videos of Vijay’s convoy entering Karur, trailed by motorbikes weaving dangerously around his bus. In one clip, two bikes collided and skidded under Vijay’s camping van. Another showed a fan riding a bike ramming into others while chasing a glimpse of the star through the front window. Countering claims that authorities deliberately cut electricity when Vijay’s vehicle arrived, the officials said the outage occurred because hundreds of fans breached barricades, climbed onto a temporary generator enclosure, and broke down its walls. That damage, they said, showing visuals of cadres breaching the generator shed, tripped the local power supply. Addressing allegations of a lathi charge, ADGP Devasirvatham said police had forced the crowd to one side only when Vijay’s bus was stuck and unable to move forward. “At one point, a DSP asked the team to halt the vehicle, but they insisted on proceeding,” he said. Police then cleared the way with force, he added. Officials also played a clip of Vijay thanking the police once he reached the stage after nearly 30: “Without their help, I wouldn’t have been able to reach this spot.” The crowd had been building since morning, leaving many exhausted and dehydrated, officials said. The arrival of Vijay’s large campaign bus in the same congested area triggered the fatal crush. Amudha and health secretary Senthilkumar gave a minute-by-minute account: The first ambulance was called at 7.14 pm, arriving by 7.20. By then, multiple casualties were reported. In all, 33 ambulances, including seven arranged by TVK, joined the rescue effort. “Phones were not working; The police used wireless to communicate the critical situation,” she said. Officials pushed back against Vijay’s claim that the tragedy had struck “only in Karur.” They listed casualties and injuries across his recent tour: one death in Villupuram, two in his Madurai rally, and dozens of injuries in Ariyalur, Trichy, Tiruvarur, and Namakkal, where 34 had been hospitalised from heat stroke earlier in the day. Officers also pointed to the absence of TVK party volunteers to coordinate alongside police. To questions about why the meeting was not stopped by the police as the situation deteriorated, officials said that cancelling suddenly before such a massive crowd risked triggering even greater panic. “Consequences would have been severe if it were cancelled at that moment,” Devasirvatham said. The presser concluded with a warning: those spreading fake news and conspiracy theories online would face action. Police confirmed several arrests since Monday night for posts suggesting deliberate sabotage. For the Stalin government, the press conference was as much about managing perception as recounting facts. Since Saturday, the administration has avoided naming Vijay in criminal cases, limiting charges to his local and state party functionaries. But his Tuesday video, framing the tragedy as political persecution and challenging the chief minister directly, has complicated that strategy. Officials said they will wait for the one-woman inquiry commission led by retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan and a parallel police investigation to determine accountability.
