Karur Stampede: CM Stalin Reveals In Assembly What Exactly Happened At TVK Rally; Oppn Counters

Chennai: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday narrated the sequence of events at the TVK chief's rally and the subsequent action of the government in the aftermath of the stampede last month, which claimed the lives of 41 people.

Addressing the House, Stalin said the incident "shook the hearts of people of Tamil Nadu".

While it was being said that additional expenditure subsidy demands for the year 2025-26 would be presented in this session today, several legislators including Opposition leader Edappadi Palaniswami demanded that an adjournment motion be passed with regard to the Karur tragedy.

Following this, CM Stalin highlighted the letter seeking permission from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to hold a rally in Karur on September 27. He said the government had granted permission for TVK's rally in Karur with 11 conditions and had deployed over 600 police personnel. "Permission (for the rally) was granted with 11 conditions. Around 517 policemen led by the SP and 91 policemen from other districts were on duty on the particular date, which is comparatively more than the personnel deployed for meetings of other political parties," he said.

Without specifically mentioning TVK chief Vijay, Stalin said the party leader arrived seven hours later than the time he had specified (12 noon). As time passed and crowd swelled at the scheduled rally, people present could not even go out to relieve themselves. "Moreover, since the party did not arrange basic necessities, many people were exhausted without water; while some fainted," Stalin said in the Assembly.

When people entered the tin shed where the generator was located, the operator turned off the power to avoid electrocution, he said.

He further stated, "In view of the crowd, police had urged party administration to stop the vehicle of the party leader near Akshaya Hospital instead of proceeding to Veluchamipuram. Despite this, the campaign vehicle continued to move forward, causing a stampede in which many people were injured. Ambulances were rushed to the spot, and the injured were rescued and shifted to the hospitals for treatment. However, several people lost their lives."

Following this, an autopsy was conducted at night with 24 doctors and 14 medical staff, with special permission from the Karur Collector, he said.

Later, the Chief Minister announced that guidelines for future public meetings of political parties are being prepared to prevent such incidents.

During the whole address, Stalin did not mention Vijay's name in the assembly, and only referred to him as TVK leader in his speech.

Meanwhile, Opposition leader Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) alleged that the Chief Minister's statement contradicted the version given by the Law and Order ADGP, and criticised him for speaking before the leader of Opposition in violation of Assembly tradition. "There is a contradiction between what the Law and Order ADGP said about the Karur incident and what the Chief Minister said about the tragedy. Also, the Chief Minister has violated the tradition that one should speak only after the Leader of the Opposition speaks," he said.

A heated debate ensued between EPS and Stalin when the former tried to corner the government over late-night post mortem. EPS questioned how the post mortem of so many people who died was conducted within eight hours. "How many doctors were involved in the autopsy? How were 39 autopsies done when there were only two tables?" he asked.

In response, state Health Minister M Subramaniam criticised the Opposition for "spreading misinformation" regarding the autopsy issue. "A total of 1,704 medical personnel were on duty at Karur Hospital at that time. False information is being spread regarding the autopsy issue. A total of 25 doctors conducted the autopsy on five tables," Subramanian clarified.

Further, he added, "The autopsy was conducted as per the rules, starting at 1.45 am, and lasting a total of 14 hours, until next day 4 PM, with the permission of the District Collector. It is not appropriate to raise doubts and politicise autopsy matter."

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