'Deliberate Mobilisation Of Crowds': DMK's Big Charge At TVK Chief Vijay Over Stampede

The visuals of the parents mourning their children are "so, so disturbing", said DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai as 38 people were killed in a crowd crush at TVK chief Vijay's rally in Tamil Nadu's Karur district. There were 10 children and 17 women among those killed.

"This is unbelievable. The tragedy that has unfolded, you can't believe that three children have died and the way the parents of the three children are mourning their death, the visuals are so, so disturbing," Mr Annadurai told NDTV. 

The DMK leader blamed the actor-turned politician Vijay and his rally organisers for the tragedy, claiming that the people were made to wait for hours under the hot sun. 

"This is a deliberate ploy made by the organisers of this event... They (people) waited for almost six hours. They were all there. Why did they (Vijay and team) do this? They did this so that there would be mobilisation of crowds. This is a cheap ploy by the organisers and there was criminal negligence," said the DMK leader. 

"Whoever is responsible has to be arrested. And Mr Vijay is culpable. He cannot escape culpability," the DMK leader insisted. 

Chief Minister MK Stalin said the tragedy has "shaken the hearts of us all". 

The victims' families will be given a compensation of Rs 10 lakh from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund. 

"A one-person Commission of Inquiry, headed by Retired High Court Justice Mrs Aruna Jagadeesan, will be immediately constituted to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report to the government," said the Chief Minister, who is headed to Karur to meet the victims' families and those injured in the stampede. 

Police sources told NDTV that the stampede was triggered after a fall by crowds at a point where large numbers had surged forward. A senior officer estimated that "at least 30,000 people had gathered" at the venue, where Vijay was scheduled to speak after his earlier rally in Namakkal. His arrival, however, was delayed by more than six hours, by which time the crowds had swelled uncontrollably.

"You (Vijay) are not even willing to follow the rules, and you want to become the chief minister. What a shame," said the DMK leader.

This is not the first time Vijay's rallies have come under scrutiny. 

Vijay's debut rally in Trichy earlier this month saw massive crowds escorting his convoy from the airport to the venue, turning a 20-minute ride into a six-hour traffic jam that brought the city to a halt.

"It's very, very sad and shocking. An irreparable loss. It should not have happened. It is the responsibility of the organisers and the state government machinery should have been extra conscious," said BJP leader Ashvathaman Allimuthu.

Asked if the charge levelled against Vijay by DMK that he waited for crowds to get dense, the BJP leader appeared to agree. 

"It will be true because it is happening in every programme of Vijay. He comes only on weekends, which means more crowd. If there's more crowd, you have to be extra conscious," said the BJP leader. 

Vijay has been touring across the state and will cover all 38 districts via public meetings. Events during the tour will be mostly held on Saturdays. Only one programme is scheduled on a Sunday.

"He's an actor that is the reason why people were waiting and he took advantage. He wanted to milk them politically and see this is what has happened and Mr Vijay has to take responsibility. Mr Vijay is culpable," the DMK leader asserted. 

After MGR and Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu has not seen actors turning successful enough to become chief ministers - including iconic names like Sivaji Ganesan, Vijayakanth, Sarathkumar and Kamal Haasan. Superstar Rajinikanth too had to opt out of politics altogether. 

However, Vijay's team insists his case is different. Unlike others, he is making his electoral plunge at the peak of his acting career, banking on his current mass appeal to convert his popularity into votes.