Justice demands more than token FIRs. If leaders like Vijay evade responsibility, political rallies will remain death traps for ordinary citizens.
PC Bureau
September 28: A day after the Karur stampede that claimed 39 lives—including 16 women and 10 children—the state government has not dared to touch Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay. Instead, it has filed an FIR against his party’s General Secretary Anand and Joint Secretary Nirmal Kumar. This selective action raises the obvious question: why should the leader in whose name the rally was held be exempt from scrutiny?
The tragedy was not a freak accident but the outcome of clear negligence. Vijay’s arrival was delayed by nearly six hours, leaving a crowd of more than 8,000—double the expected number—waiting under punishing conditions. With no water, little shade, and inadequate crowd management, frustration and fatigue built up. When his vehicle finally appeared, the surge toward the stage was inevitable. A stampede broke out near a shed housing a generator and a broadcast van, trapping hundreds. Narrow entry points, absence of barricades, and lack of medical preparedness turned mismanagement into mass death.
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And yet, Vijay continued his speech even after panic broke out. Reports confirm that people were fainting, crying for help, and ambulances struggled to reach the injured, but the rally was not halted immediately. A responsible leader would have stopped at the first sign of chaos. Instead, enthusiasm was prioritized over safety, and lives were lost.
Social media platforms are flooded with anger and grief as victims’ families and eyewitnesses accuse actor-turned-politician Vijay of apathy and insensitivity during the Karur stampede.
“This guy #Vijay was speaking while people were dying in the #KarurTragedy. He ran away to his house despite knowing of the #KarurStampede. Now he’s doing a drama of paying ₹20 lakh to the families of those who died. Hope at least now people realise not to follow cine stars blindly,” wrote user Ganesh (@me_ganesh14) on X.
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
Another user, Namita Balyan (@NamitaBalyan), wrote:
“He shamelessly ignored people literally dying around him and continued with this nonsense on mic. There are times when you have to stop and think what kind of demons and narcissistic animals are made Gods by us.”
Her words echo the frustration of many who accuse Vijay of valuing spectacle over human lives
Dozens of similar posts echoed the sentiment, questioning why Vijay continued his speech while chaos unfolded and why only lower-level organizers are being blamed. The public mood online suggests that compensation alone will not silence demands for accountability from the TVK leader.
TVK’s attempt to frame the tragedy as a conspiracy—citing stone pelting and a police lathi-charge—rings hollow. No on-ground visuals, TV coverage, or eyewitness accounts support such claims. Hundreds of cameras captured the event, and not one shows evidence of external provocation. These excuses serve only to deflect blame from where it squarely belongs: the organizers and their leader.
This is not just about mismanagement—it is about accountability. Political rallies are known to draw huge crowds, and precautions are the responsibility of the organizers. Adequate barricades, buffer zones, water supplies, medical teams, and trained personnel are standard expectations, not luxuries. When these are absent, the burden of negligence falls on those who sanctioned and benefited from the event. Vijay, as the face of TVK and the man whose campaign was being launched, cannot wash his hands of this responsibility.
The aftermath has followed a predictable script. Vijay posted messages of grief on social media, announced compensation of ₹20 lakh for the families of the dead and ₹2 lakh for the injured, and expressed his “unbearable sorrow.” The Chief Minister rushed to Karur, promising care. But these gestures, while welcome, are not justice. They cannot obscure the fact that lives were lost because precautions were not taken and because leadership failed to prioritize safety over spectacle.
So disturbing! Heart-breaking! 😢
We need to get out of the hero-worshipping mentality. No celebrity is worth risking a life. #KarurStampede#VijayRally pic.twitter.com/FAlgDjKUkG— Satish Acharya (@satishacharya) September 28, 2025
READ: Tragedy at Vijay’s Rally: 38 Killed, 8 Children Among Dead
If organizers are not held accountable in law—not just in rhetoric—such tragedies will recur. The cult of celebrity in politics should not mean immunity from responsibility. If a school principal can be charged for negligence after a fire, or if a builder can be jailed for violating safety codes, why should political leaders walk free when dozens die at their events?
The Karur stampede is not merely a tragic episode—it is a test case for political accountability. Vijay must answer why his campaign disregarded basic safety measures, why his team failed to anticipate the size of the crowd, and why he did not immediately stop his speech when chaos erupted. Anything less would be an injustice to the victims’ families, whose grief is compounded by the sense that powerful leaders remain untouchable.
Unless the law treats organizers—including Vijay—as directly responsible for crowd safety, condolences and compensation will remain hollow. True justice lies in ensuring this never happens again, and that requires setting an example. No politician, however popular, should be allowed to escape accountability when negligence costs lives.
