A strict cap on the number of participants, demarcated enclosures and monitored entry are some of the conditions enforced by the Puducherry Police as Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay is set to hold a political rally in the Union Territory on Tuesday. This will be the first rally conducted by the party after the Karur stampede tragedy on September 27 that killed 41 people.
"A maximum of 5,000 participants will be allowed, based on passes to be issued by TVK. A detailed set of guidelines will be issued shortly through an official press release," a senior police officer told NDTV.
According to police sources, the approved venue will be divided into demarcated enclosures, each capable of accommodating 500 people, to ensure better crowd management and monitored entry. Authorities have also instructed the organisers to arrange drinking water and toilet facilities at the site. As part of safety precautions, pregnant women, children and the elderly will not be permitted to attend the event.
The TVK had originally sought permission for a roadshow, but police denied the request, citing the city's cramped stretches and narrow roads that cannot handle the surging crowd Vijay typically draws. They were also worried that Vijay's rally could draw large crowds from neighbouring Tamil Nadu as well.
The actor-turned-politician commands a massive cult following in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala. His party views Puducherry as a strategically important region to establish his political presence.
This fresh permission process comes against the backdrop of the Karur stampede tragedy, where 41 people died during a TVK rally earlier this year. In the aftermath, the Tamil Nadu government drafted new guidelines for political rallies to prevent such incidents, and the Supreme Court ordered a court-monitored CBI probe into the tragedy.
Tamil Nadu Police had earlier blamed TVK for the Karur stampede, alleging Vijay's delayed arrival triggered crowd surges, compounded by dehydration and fatigue due to inadequate food and water. The TVK rejected the charges, calling them a conspiracy by the ruling DMK and accusing the police of failing to regulate crowds along the route. The DMK has denied these allegations.
