A heartbreaking story has emerged from the tragic stampede at actor-turned-politician Vijay’s rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu. Among the 40 people who lost their lives were young sweethearts M. Akash and S. Gokulasri, both 26, whose dreams of a future together ended in an instant.
Akash worked as an IT professional, while Gokulasri taught as a guest lecturer at Valluvar College of Science and Management. The couple, childhood friends planning their engagement next month and wedding in January, headed to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) event with Gokulasri’s older brother, Prabhakaran. They just wanted a glimpse of their idol, “Vijay Anna.”
But what started as an exciting evening turned chaotic. Vijay’s delayed arrival sparked a massive crowd surge, leading to the deadly stampede on Saturday night. The group had been waiting on a nearby house terrace for hours. As they tried to head down, the crush hit hard.
“We were stuck up there when the crowd went wild,” Prabhakaran shared, his voice breaking. “My sister told me to get out of the way—I’d just had angioplasty and wasn’t in great shape.” Tragically, Akash and Gokulasri got swept up in the chaos just minutes later. Their mother had even called at 6 p.m., urging them to come home, but they stayed to see the star.
By Sunday morning, after post-mortems, their bodies went to the family. Funerals followed later that day, leaving everyone reeling from the Tamil Nadu stampede loss.
The incident has rocked the state, with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin calling it “unprecedented in Tamil Nadu’s history.” He rushed to Karur right away, promising Rs 10 lakh in aid to each victim’s family. Stalin also ordered a full investigation led by retired Justice Aruna Jagadeesan to uncover what went wrong and hold people accountable for the rally safety failures.
Opposition leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami visited the grieving families and pointed fingers at the DMK government and police. “They knew how huge the crowd would be for Vijay’s political rally, but safety measures fell short,” he said. Palaniswami called for better crowd management rules at such events to prevent future Karur tragedy repeats.
Vijay himself stayed quiet at first but later shared his sorrow on social media. “This is an irreparable loss,” the TVK chief wrote, vowing Rs 20 lakh for each deceased family and Rs 2 lakh for the injured. He asked supporters to stay strong through this “heart-shattering moment.”
As families like Akash and Gokulasri’s try to make sense of their pain, the focus turns to big questions: How can Tamil Nadu improve security at political rallies? The outpouring of grief highlights the urgent need for stronger protections amid the excitement of star-powered events.
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