Chennai – On Monday, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the general secretary of the AIADMK and leader of the opposition, accused the DMK government of causing a deadly stampede at a rally for actor‑politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Karur on September 27. The disaster took 41 lives and injured more than 60 people.
Palaniswami’s statement was sharp and clear. He said eyewitness evidence and media coverage prove that the tragedy resulted from administrative failure and political negligence. “If the government had taken proper precautions and handled the event responsibly, these deaths could have been avoided,” he said.
He pointed out several key failings:
- Uncontrolled crowd flow. The event was already heavy, yet the authorities let people rush in, even though the rally ran late.
- Lack of basic safety. Witnesses reported a power cut that caused panic. The police and district officials did not provide a backup power supply or a clear plan for crowd control, medical aid, or evacuation routes.
- Slow police response. Video footage shows the police did not deploy enough officers and seemed to stand by for hours as the crowd grew. Palaniswami questioned who ordered the police not to intervene.
- Discrepancies about police numbers. The ADGP for law and order, S. Davidson Devasirvatham, initially claimed 500 officers were on duty, later giving no exact figure. Visual evidence contradicts the claim that there were enough forces to manage the crowd.
Palaniswami accused the DMK of deflecting blame. He urged the government to accept full responsibility. “These are not rumours – they are the voices of survivors, eyewitnesses and even police personnel. They cannot be silenced or denied. These 41 lives were lost not to fate but to official apathy and negligence,” he said. He demanded a transparent probe and accountability for the lapses that led to the tragedy.
Source: ianslive
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