'Victim families are inconsolable': Venugopal on Karur stampede

Chennai, Sep 30 (IANS) Congress general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal, on Tuesday, visited Karur to console the bereaved families of those killed in the stampede at actor-turned-politician Vijay’s rally.

“The families who have lost their loved ones are inconsolable. The whole of Tamil Nadu and India are in pain. We are here to tell the victims they are not alone; the whole country stands with them,” he said.

The September 27 Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) public meeting at Velusamypuram turned into one of the deadliest political gatherings in recent Tamil Nadu history.

Forty-one people, including women and children, were killed, and more than 60 were injured when panic and overcrowding erupted as thousands struggled for space to see Vijay.

The surging crowd led to chaos, and many were trampled. Venugopal, accompanied by AICC Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar, TNCC president K. Selvaperunthagai, CLP leader Rajesh Kumar, Karur MP Jothimani Sennimalai, and other senior Congress leaders, said the tragedy was “beyond imagination” and emphasised that the party stood firmly with the victims.

Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, who reached Karur within hours of the incident, expressed deep grief and ordered immediate relief of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the deceased and free treatment for the injured.

He also set up a one-man judicial commission under retired judge Arun Jagadeesan to investigate the lapses that led to the tragedy.

Stalin later said, “We will ensure such a horrific event never repeats.”

Opposition leader and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami called the incident “heart-wrenching” and criticised the government for failing to enforce adequate crowd control.

He demanded a fair and swift probe and better safety arrangements for future political gatherings.

From the BJP-led NDA, MP and actor Hema Malini visited Karur with a team of MPs, including Anurag Thakur and Rekha Sharma. She said the visit was to “share the grief and understand what went wrong.”

“If a larger and safer venue had been provided, this could have been avoided,” she remarked. TVK founder Vijay, visibly shaken, released a video message saying he has never faced such pain in his life.

“I didn’t visit Karur immediately as my presence might create an unusual situation. I will meet the families soon,” he said, adding that he was ready to face any action and wanted the truth to come out.

The Karur stampede has triggered urgent calls across the political spectrum for stricter safety norms and better coordination between organisers and authorities to prevent another such disaster.

--IANS

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