Tamil Nadu Government to SC: Vijay’s Delay Caused Karur Stampede

New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government has told the Supreme Court that the Karur stampede, which claimed 41 lives, resulted from "reckless and uncoordinated actions" by organisers and workers of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party.

In an affidavit, the state said TVK leader C Joseph Vijay intentionally delayed his arrival by about seven hours at the Karur venue to attract a larger crowd. Vijay left Chennai at 8.40 am on September 27, arriving in Tiruchirappalli at 9.25 am, then proceeded to Namakkal before finally reaching Karur, causing the prolonged delay.

The government said the Karur police had deployed bandobust strength from 10 am, ensuring security, traffic management, and crowd control were in place. However, TVK’s official Twitter handle misleadingly announced Vijay’s arrival at 12 pm, and the party’s state general secretary incited premature public gathering. As a result, thousands assembled from 9.30 am, facing heat, dehydration, and fatigue.

The affidavit noted that despite the crowd’s distress, police maintained order and public safety until Vijay’s late arrival, highlighting that no stampede occurred before the leader reached the venue. The Supreme Court, on October 13, ordered a CBI probe and set up a three- member supervisory committee led by ex-judge Ajay Rastogi to oversee the investigation. Police said turnout of 27,000, nearly triple the expected 10,000, contributed to the tragedy.