At least thirty-nine have been killed and more than 50 injured in India while attending a political rally for Tamil actor and politician Vijay on Saturday.
“So far, 39 people have died, including 13 men, 17 women, 4 boys, and 5 girls; while 51 people, including 26 men and 25 women, are receiving intensive treatment,” MK Stalin, chief minister of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, told reporters in the district of Karur, where the incident occurred on Saturday.
State lawmaker Senthil Balaji told reporters earlier that 58 people had been hospitalised, after calling the incident a “stampede”.
Children are also reported to be among the dead, according to reports. Indian media have carried conflicting reports on the number of injured, with outlets putting the figure between 50 to 80.
Vijay is one of Tamil cinema’s biggest stars and launched his political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in 2024. His rallies are known for drawing large crowds and saw similar numbers on Saturday, as Vijay hit the campaign trail in the run-up to the 2026 state elections.
The actor hoped to stand against the ruling DMK party and the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Footage from Indian media showed thousands surrounding a large campaign vehicle, with Vijay seen standing on top, addressing the crowd. The Indian Express reports that at one point, Vijay’s party workers noticed that the gathering had grown too big and several people had fainted.
As the crowd swelled, he paused his speech midway when alerted by his team. In media footage, he was seen throwing water bottles to those who had collapsed and calling on the police to help manage the situation.
Police said supporters had been waiting since noon, and Vijay arrived only after nightfall, following an earlier rally.
G Venkatraman, Tamil Nadu’s acting director general of police, was quoted by ANI as saying that Vijay reached the venue around 7:30pm, even though the event was scheduled to begin at 3pm. He added that the number of people who showed up exceeded both the venue capacity and the expectations of the organisers.
“Earlier rallies of TVK had smaller crowds, but this time the turnout was far higher than expected. Though organisers had requested a large ground in Karur, anticipating about 10,000 people, nearly 27,000 gathered,” he said.
About 500 police personnel had been deployed, he said, in line with what was expected based on previous rallies.
The senior police official added that crowds had started assembling as early as 11.00am and were left waiting for hours in the sun without sufficient food or water. “By the time Vijay arrived at 7.40pm, the crowd had already been waiting for hours without sufficient food and water. That is the reality,” Mr Venkatraman said.
According to multiple eyewitnesses who spoke to The Indian Express, the tragedy unfolded in less than 10 minutes. Witnesses said over a dozen people who had climbed onto a tree branch to watch the rally fell onto the tightly packed crowd, intensifying the chaos. “It was one of the reasons that made it this deadly,” a senior police officer who visited the site told reporters.
After the incident, Vijay travelled to Trichy airport and flew to state capital Chennai, declining to comment to reporters and covering his face from cameras, according to Hindustan Times.
“My heart is broken; I am writhing in unbearable, indescribable pain and sorrow,” Vijay wrote after landing on X, formerly Twitter, his first statement on the tragedy.
“I express my deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of my dear brothers and sisters who lost their lives in Karur. I pray for a speedy recovery for those who are undergoing treatment in the hospital.”
Mr Modi responded to the tragedy on X/Twitter, writing: “The unfortunate incident during a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu, is deeply saddening.”
He added: “My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. Wishing strength to them in this difficult time. Praying for a swift recovery to all those injured.”
President Droupadi Murmu expressed her sorrow over the tragic loss of lives, offering her condolences to the grieving families. “I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and pray for the early recovery of those injured,” she wrote in a post on X.
The government announced a commission to be headed by a retired Judge, Aruna Jagadeesan, to investigate the circumstances that led to the deaths and injuries, according to Stalin. He also announced Rs 1m (£8,396) each to the families of the victims who died in the incident.
Police have since registered a case against Muthiyazhagan, the Karur district secretary of Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, who was one of the organisers responsible for Saturday’s rally.
Vijay’s debut rally in Trichy earlier this month created a six-hour traffic jam as supporters escorted his convoy from the airport to the venue, bringing the city to a standstill. In response, police imposed 23 conditions on subsequent rallies, including bans on convoys, public receptions, and advisories for pregnant women, the elderly and the differently abled to follow proceedings online.
Earlier this month, the Madras High Court, hearing TVK’s petition against what it called “tough and unfulfillable conditions” imposed by police, questioned whether such restrictions applied equally to other parties. Justice N Sathish Kumar referred to the chaos at Vijay’s rally in Trichy and observed: “If something untoward had happened, who would take responsibility? As party president, Vijay ought to control the crowds.”
Stampedes have occurred in the country in the past, with 11 fans crushed in Bengaluru this June during celebrations for a local cricket team’s Premier League win.
In January this year, a stampede at the Maha Khumbh Mela in India’s Prayagraj killed at least 30 people and injured over 60. The religious festival is held once every 12 years at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
In July 2024, at least 121 people were killed in the northern region of the state of Uttar Pradesh during a religious gathering of the Hindu community.
