He brought his mother to the rally to get a glimpse of his hero, actor-turned-politician Vijay. His mother, Jaya, was caught in the stampede that killed 40, including her, as a crowd of thousands waited hours in baking heat in hopes of seeing the popular actor in Tamil Nadu's Karur district on Saturday. She was 55.
The woman's son, Murugan, is admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a local hospital. Doctors say the 34-year-old is critical.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Chief Vijay, known by one name, was addressing the rally when the crowds surged suddenly, forcing him to halt his speech in Karur district. Videos on social media showed him tossing water bottles to supporters shortly before the panic broke out.
"My heart is shattered at this tragedy," the 51-year-old star said in a statement.
Mounds of shoes and chappals, crushed water bottles, torn party flags, pieces of clothes, broken poles, shreds of paper sprayed from party poppers and striking garbage of sorts, at the venue only reminded of the tragic incident.
State police chief G Venkataraman said crowds had been waiting for hours under hot sun without sufficient food and water after the public was informed that Vijay would arrive at the venue by noon.
"The crowds started coming in from 11 am. He came at 7:40 pm. The people lacked sufficient food and water under the hot sun," he told reporters.
He added 10,000 people were expected but some 27,000 turned up.
"I was not aware that she (Jaya) went there. When I saw the news, my family informed me about my sister. When we searched, we got her body. Her son has sustained chest injuries and is finding it difficult to breathe. Everyone rushed and pushed, and no one was able to escape from the spot. Thus they got stuck and a stampede happened," said the victim's brother.
"Her son is a big Vijay fan. So he took his mother to see his hero, and this happened," he added.
Vijay launched his own party in 2024 and has drawn huge crowds at campaign events ahead of state elections due next year.
"No water, no food facility. Due to which people fainted. Vijay didn't even speak for 3 minutes. He doesn't know politics. He is just an actor. This is his first time in politics. If they wanted to do this, they should have taken the ground and done this," said a witness.
Chief Minister MK Stalin, who rushed to Karur past midnight, expressed deep anguish and said such a tragedy should never happen again. He announced that a judicial commission, led by retired Justice Aruna Jagadeesan, will investigate the incident.
The Chief Minister also declared Rs 10 lakh to the families of the victims and Rs 1 lakh to the injured.
Leader of Opposition and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami visited the injured and accused the state of serious lapses in security planning.
"Proper crowd control and safety protocols were ignored. This is a man-made disaster," he charged, urging the government to fix accountability.
