- Brinda died in a stampede at Vijay's rally in Karur that killed 40 and injured nearly 100
- Vijay announced Rs 20 lakh compensation for each death and Rs 2 lakh for the injured
- Brinda's family demanded better safety and arrangements at rallies
Twenty-two-year-old Brinda, a huge fan of actor-politician Vijay, was excited about the superstar's rally in Karur yesterday. She left her two-year-old son with her sister and headed to the venue, hoping to catch a glimpse of her hero. Hours later, Brinda was dead in a stampede at the Karur rally that claimed 40 lives and left nearly 100 injured.
Brinda's sister said that they kept calling her after the news of the stampede came in, but there was no response. They came to know of her death only this morning.
"My sister left her child with me and said she was going to attend the rally. We called her around 4 pm, but she did not pick up. We kept trying, but there was no response. Her phone was switched off after 10 pm. This morning, her husband sent her photograph to the organisers, and we came to know she has died," Brinda's sister told NDTV.
Vijay has expressed condolences for the deaths and said he was overwhelmed by grief. He has announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the families of each person killed in the stampede and an assistance of Rs 2 lakh for those injured.
"This amount is, of course, not significant in the face of such a loss. Still, at this moment, it is my duty as one who belongs to your family to stand by you, my dear ones, with a heavy heart. Likewise, I pray to God that all our loved ones who are injured and undergoing treatment recover swiftly and return home," he said in a post on X.
Brinda's sister said the family did not want money and that such an announcement means nothing if proper arrangements are not made for public meetings.
"If you organise a meeting, ensure there is space, ensure there is food and water for people. Just announcing compensation doesn't fix anything. I don't want money, I want my sister's life back. Can they give her life back?" she asked.
As the investigation into the tragedy deepens, Vijay and his party TVK are under fire for poor planning and alleged violation of the safety guidelines. Sources in the state government have said that the venue had a capacity of about 10,000 people, but a crowd of 27,000 turned up. A seven-hour delay in Vijay's arrival and the lack of proper arrangements for food and drinking water contributed to the tragedy, the sources have said.
TVK has rejected these allegations and alleged a conspiracy by DMK, the ruling party in Tamil Nadu. The party has said that the delays were caused by poor traffic management. TVK's lawyer, Arivazhagan, has told NDTV that the party has approached the Madras High Court with a petition that urges the court to set up a Special Investigation Team or to transfer the case to the central agency CBI.
