The death toll in the Vijay rally stampede mounted to 40 after another person succumbed at a hospital.
Vijay rally stampede: Actor-politician Vijay on Sunday announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the families of those killed in the stampede at his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party’s rally even as the death toll in the tragic incident mounted to 40 after another person succumbed to injuries at a Chennai hospital.
TVK moves Madras HC, Vijay announces compensation
Expressing his condolences to the bereaved families in a social media post on Sunday, Vijay said a sum of Rs 20 lakh would be given to the families of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh to those who sustained injuries.
“It is not a huge amount for the loss you have suffered. I know your loss cannot be replaced. It is an irreparable loss. However, it is my duty to stand next to you in this hour and share your grief,” the TVK president said, adding that he would pray for the speedy recovery of those injured and assured that his party cadres would provide all possible support those undergoing treatment in hospitals.
Meanwhile, TVK moved the Madras High Court Bench in Madurai seeking an independent probe into the Karur stampede, with the party’s deputy general secretary Nirmal Kumar saying they had approached the high court Bench with a plea for an impartial inquiry into the incident.
“The judge agreed to hear the case tomorrow at 2.15 pm. We will make official our statement thereafter,” Kumar told media.
How tragedy unfolded at Vijay’s Karur rally?
Tragedy struck on late Saturday evening as more than 30,000 people had gathered at the TVK rally in Tamil Nadu’s Karur where they awaited the arrival of the party’s chief and famous actor Vijay. The Tamil superstar arrived at the venue at around 7: 40 PM where people were waiting under the hot sun lacked sufficient food and water, according to the state police.
The actor-politician addressed the overcrowded rally as the crowd began to swell, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the superstar. However, tragedy unfolded when several people fainted due to overcrowding leading to a stampede-like situation, as Vijay abruptly ended his address after witnessing the commotion. TVK workers raised an alarm and along with Vijay threw water bottles at the crowd from the actor’s campaign bus as the situation worsened.
Ambulances arrived at the scene and took away scores of people who had fainted in the stampede to nearby hospitals. However, paramedics faced a hard time to reach the incident site due to heavily crowded streets, according to news agency PTI.
“As fans were chanting Vijay’s name, several did not realize that it was a stampede and that people fell down. Many who happened to place their legs on people who fell down also got tripped and fell,” a youth who survived the stampede told reporters.
Death toll mounts to 40
Meanwhile, the death toll in the Vijay rally stampede mounted to 40 after another person succumbed at a hospital. “A total of 40 people have died in the stampede so far. The Chief Minister arrived immediately at night and ordered proper treatment for the injured,” Karur Collector M. Thangavel told reporters at a presser.
The officer said that CM MK Stalin has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for those receiving treatment. “A help desk has been opened at the hospital… The Tamil Nadu government has taken steps to prevent further deaths.”
The dead include 17 women, 14 men, 4 male children, and 5 female children, according to officials.
(With inputs from agencies)
