Opinion After Karur stampede: Actor-politician Vijay cannot evade questions

The heart-rending stories from Karur in Tamil Nadu, where a rally by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay turned into a horrific stampede snuffing out at least 39 lives on Saturday, speak of lapses that have become all too familiar in recent times — poor planning, faulty communication, insufficient understanding of the crowd’s behaviour and failure to take damage-control measures. In most parts of the country, political rallies tend to be overcrowded. This is especially so in South India, where lines between movie fandom and political support often get blurred. TVK is still in its infancy. Its rallies are, however, chaotic like blockbuster releases. That’s why the probe, announced by the Tamil Nadu government after Saturday’s tragedy, should take a hard, unsparing look at the organisers of the event, especially the TVK’s superstar leader. Permission had been granted for 10,000 people. The TVK had told the police that it expected no more. Yet, the crowd had swelled to around 30,000 when the stampede happened. Hundreds of Vijay’s followers started chasing his cavalcade after the actor-turned-politician had finished addressing another rally at Namakkal, about 34 km from Karur. As more and more people made their way to the rally site in hot and humid conditions to catch a glimpse of the superstar who was running behind schedule, the organisers aggravated the confusion with poor communication.

At Karur, Vijay spoke from a van, and many in the audience were unable to hear him. He was seemingly impervious to the panic that had ensued after a branch collapsed on the crowd, bringing down several supporters who had scaled a tree to get a better view of the TVK chief. Later, in a post on the social media site X, Vijay wrote in Tamil, “My heart is shattered. I am writhing in unbearable, indescribable pain and sorrow that words cannot express.” These are empty words for the grieving families, especially because Vijay left Karur soon after the stampede, caught a flight to Chennai from Trichy, and was at his beachside residence in the Tamil Nadu capital hours after the tragedy. The TVK supremo, who has often flaunted the power of his mass rallies, cannot evade accountability for the safety of those who attend his meetings. He must answer tough questions. Why did he do nothing more than throw bottles of water at the crowd? Why did the organisers fail to act, even as people cried out for help in the stifling conditions? In some of the footage that has emerged after the tragedy, people are seen gasping for breath. Why was no one at hand to attend to their panic calls?

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The tragedy should be a wake-up call for political parties. While crowds are inevitable, organisers — of political rallies and other gatherings, including religious congregations, sports events, and music concerts — must give scrupulous attention to even the smallest sign of discomfort or panic. The politician cannot treat the crowd as a mere index of support. The least they can do is ensure the safety of those who throng campaigns, carry party flags, and often wait long hours, perhaps only to catch a glimpse of or take a selfie with their leader. That would be the most sincere tribute to those who lost their lives in Saturday’s tragedy. The police and the civic authorities need to draw a line. That may be tough when the leader is a political rival of the party in power. But when the matter is of citizens’ life and death, there can be no shortcuts.