40 people have died and 124 people have been left injured in the Karur district of Tamil Nadu after a horrific crowd crush during a political gathering led by actor and leader of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party, Vijay.
Out of the 40 who died, at least 9 are confirmed to be children. Many were taken to Karur Medical College, emergency care units were set up to treat the injured, and additional ambulances and rescue personnel were deployed to the site.
The rally had gained widespread attention, attracting people from various cities including Erode, Dindigul, Tirruppur, Salem and Emur. By noon, a crowd of nearly 27,000 people had formed at the site. They stood for hours in the heat and without sufficient food and water for an event which had been initially scheduled for noon, but only commenced later at 7:20pm.
The panic ensued after a power outage which occurred shortly after Vijay’s arrival. The crowd began to swell as attendees moved closer to the politician’s bus, leading to congestion. Witnesses said people began fainting and stumbling as panic rippled through the dense crowd. Several victims were trampled in the chaos before rescue teams could reach them. Vijay continued to address the gathering even whilst attendees were taken to hospital. He stopped shortly after the situation began to escalate.
This guy #Vijay was speaking while the people were dying in the #KarurTragedy. He ran away to his house despite knowing of #KarurStampede. Now doing a drama of paying 20 Lakh to those died. Hope at least now people realise not follow cini stars blindly. #VijayCampaign #Karur pic.twitter.com/Ss5hj77XJI
— Ganesh (@me_ganesh14) September 28, 2025
The organisers of the event, who had asked permission for a gathering of 10,000, have been criticised for their failure to anticipate large crowds and to uphold reasonable crowd management and safety measures. According to officials, poor ventilation and overcrowding worsened the situation.
Police have opened a criminal case against three of the leaders of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party. The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin, expressed his condolences and announced a single-member judicial commission of Madras High Court’s Justice Aruna Jagadeesa would be launched to investigate the causes of the catastrophe.
The Chief Minister also announced that Rs 10 lakh would be given to each family as compensation.
“This is an unprecedented tragedy. My deepest sympathies are with the bereaved families. The government stands by them in this painful moment,” Stalin said.
Vijay, who was initially silent in the immediate aftermath of the event, later took to X to express his condolences.
“This is an irreparable loss for us. No words can comfort such pain. But as one among you, I will stand by your side and extend Rs 20 lakh to each bereaved family and Rs 2 lakh to those under treatment,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s office also announced, “The Prime Minister is deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the unfortunate incident at Karur. He has approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 each for the injured,” the PMO said in a statement.”
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, mononymously known as Vijay, pivoted from acting to politics in early 2024 to establish the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party. He has not yet been subject to official investigation.
This event marks one of the deadliest crowd disasters in Tamil Nadu in recent years and has raised urgent questions about political event safety and accountability.
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