The incident occurred at Velusamypuram on the Karur–Erode highway, where thousands had gathered for Vijay’s ‘Velicham Veliyeru’ (‘Let There Be Light’) campaign. The death toll after a massive stampede-like situation at Tamil actor-politician Vijay’s rally at Karur in Tamil Nadu rose to 31, with 40 seriously injured.
The rally organised by his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) saw a sudden crowd surge.
Here is what we know so far:
The death toll includes 16 women, nine men and six children, confirmed Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian. The incident, described as a “stampede-like crush” by the district administration, occurred at Velusamypuram on the Karur–Erode highway, where thousands had gathered for Vijay’s ‘Velicham Veliyeru’ (‘Let There Be Light’) campaign meeting.
He was addressing the audience when chaos broke out, forcing him to halt his speech. Eyewitnesses said the trouble began around 7.45 pm when large sections of the crowd, eager to catch a glimpse of Vijay, surged towards the stage barricades. Several people fainted in the suffocating rush. Ambulances had difficulty navigating the jammed ground. Volunteers eventually formed human chains to carve pathways for the injured.
Police sources said the Karur rally attracted a crowd far beyond initial estimates. Though permissions were granted for around 30,000 participants, local reports suggested nearly 60,000 people converged. The venue had already been shifted once. Originally planned in central Karur, it was moved after police warned of congestion and traffic risks.
The district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry. A senior official said, “We will fix responsibility once video evidence and testimonies are studied. Crowd-control failures appear evident.” A solatium of ₹5 lakh each for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured is under consideration, sources said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reacted to the situation, calling it a “depply saddening” incident on X. Along with Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence minister Rajnath Singh and many other leaders have also reacted to the situation.
