- Actor Vijay spoke via video call to the families people who died in the stampede during his rally in Karur
- Vijay consoled the families and promised them that he would visit Tamil Nadu's Karur soon
- 41 people died and at least 60 were injured in the stampede on September 27
Actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay spoke to the families of the people who died in a stampede during his rally last month over a video call. According to officials, he has spoken to at least five families as of now. During the interaction, Vijay consoled the families and promised them that he would visit Tamil Nadu's Karur - where the incident took place - soon.
41 people died and at least 60 were injured in the stampede during Vijay's rally in Karur on September 27. According to the state police, a crowd of nearly 30,000 people gathered at a venue with a capacity of about 10,000. Security guidelines were also violated, and proper arrangements for food and drinking water were missing - which contributed to the tragedy - they said.
According to eyewitnesses, a power outage, a sudden surge of the crowd, and a narrow space also contributed to the deadly incident. The actor-turned-politician, who was supposed to arrive at the venue at 12 pm, turned up around 7 pm. The crowd had swelled till Vijay arrived, and he reportedly brought another crowd surge with his campaign bus. During this time, many people climbed trees, roofs, and power lines, due to which authorities had to cut electrical lines to avoid cases of electrocution. When Vijay arrived, people started pushing each other and threw slippers at the campaign bus to get his attention, during which many people fainted. The police then resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd, officials said.
A day after the incident, Vijay announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for each victim's family and Rs 2 lakh for the injured. His statewide tour was also suspended.
The police arrested TVK Karur West District Secretary Mathiyazhagan, holding him responsible for lapses that led to the tragedy. Cases have also been filed against TVK's General Secretary Bussy Anand and Joint General Secretary Nirmal Sekar - who are currently on the run.
Amid the mounting criticism, Vijay alleged a conspiracy by the ruling Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) over the tragedy - claim denied by both the MK Stalin-led party and the state police.
