Death toll from stampede at Indian actor-politician’s rally climbs to 41

Vijay, one of India’s most successful actors, launched his political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, in 2024. He’s running for office in the state election scheduled to be held in early 2026.

A 65-year-old woman, identified as Suguna, was the latest victim to succumb at the Karur Government Medical College Hospital, officials said.

At least 10 children and 18 women were among those killed in the stampede, health officials said on Monday. The youngest was V Guru Vishnu, who was two years old.

The bodies of the victims were released to their families after identification, officials said.

Footage showed thousands of people surrounding a campaign vehicle from atop which Vijay was addressing the rally.

At one point, Vijay’s party workers noticed the gathering had grown too big and several people had fainted, the Indian Express reported.

The politician paused his speech after being alerted by his team that the crowd had swelled. In the footage, he could be seen throwing water bottles to people who had collapsed and calling on 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, the state’s acting police chief, was quoted by ANI news agency as saying that Vijay reached the venue at around 7.30pm local time, even though the event was scheduled to begin at 3pm local time.

He added that the number of people who showed up exceeded both the venue capacity and the expectation 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.

Some 500 police personnel had been deployed, he said, in line with what was expected based on previous rallies.

S Sabesan, a local resident who was at the rally, said Vijay was supposed to address the gathering at around noon but arrived over six hours late. "A lot of barricades and ropes were placed around the venue" for crowd management, he told the Associated Press, adding that the crowd became so large that "nobody could control it”.

Multiple people "fainted as he addressed the rally. Vijay halted the speech and called in an ambulance to help them", he added.

R Rajendaran, a lawyer in Karur who witnessed the rally and subsequent accident, said at one point Vijay threw water bottles into the crowd from atop his vehicle. "When he decided to leave and his vehicle started moving, commotion broke out as hundreds of his fans and supporters chased his vehicle," he said. "That’s what led to the stampede."

Hours after the accident, Vijay offered his condolences. "My heart is shattered," he wrote on X. "I am writhing in unbearable, indescribable pain and sorrow that words cannot express."

The actor promised to pay Rs2m (£16,759) to the families of each of the deceased and Rs200,000 (£1,675) to each of those injured and receiving treatment.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin announced a compensation of Rs 1m (£8,396) to the families of each of the victims.

His government also announced a commission led by retired Judge Aruna Jagadeesan would investigate the circumstances that led to the stampede.

Police registered a case against Muthiyazhagan, the Karur district secretary of Vijay’s party who was one of the rally’s organisers.

The party, in turn, moved a petition asking the Madras High Court to direct the Tamil Nadu government to hand over the case to the CBI, a federal agency, for an impartial and transparent investigation.

Vijay’s debut political rally in Trichy earlier this month had caused a six-hour traffic jam as supporters escorted his convoy from the airport to the venue, bringing the southern 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.

Stampedes are not uncommon in India. In June, 11 fans were crushed in Bengaluru during celebrations following a local cricket team’s Premier League win.

In January, a stampede at the Maha Khumbh Mela, a major Hindi festival, killed at least 30 people and injured over 60 in the northern city of Prayagraj. In July 2024, at least 121 people were killed during a religious gathering of the Hindu community in Uttar Pradesh.