A delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs, led by Mathura MP and actor Hema Malini, arrived in Coimbatore on Tuesday morning to investigate the tragic stampede at a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Karur's Velusamypuram on September 27, which killed 41 people and injured over 50. The team, including Vijayawada MP Sujay Vikhe-Patil and another senior leader, aims to visit the site, meet victims' families, and assess lapses in crowd management that turned a political gathering into a disaster. Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran joined the group, signalling the party’s push for accountability ahead of the 2026 state elections.
The stampede occurred during a rally led by TVK chief and actor Vijay, who has emerged as a political force since launching his party in February 2024. Thousands gathered in a makeshift pandal near a temple, drawn by Vijay’s star appeal and anti-corruption promises. Overcrowding, compounded by inadequate security and Vijay’s delayed arrival, led to chaos as attendees climbed unstable structures like tin sheets, which collapsed, causing suffocation and trampling. Most victims were women and children from nearby villages like Velliyambadi.
The Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, has ordered a magisterial inquiry and announced Rs 5 lakh compensation per deceased family, but critics argue it falls short.
The BJP delegation’s visit, greenlit by the party’s central leadership, seeks to compile a detailed report for Governor RN Ravi and the Union government, potentially pushing for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe. Nagendran criticised the DMK government’s lax oversight of event permissions, accusing it of enabling “reckless” star-driven rallies.
The arrests of three TVK functionaries, including Karur West secretary V P Mathiyazhagan, for culpable homicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have intensified scrutiny. Vijay, who postponed further rallies and pledged hospital visits, faces a setback to his political ascent.
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This tragedy, one of Tamil Nadu’s deadliest stampedes since the 2019 Kumbakonam temple disaster, exposes gaps in public event safety. With Coimbatore as the staging point, the BJP aims to leverage its regional clout to highlight governance failures. The delegation’s findings could shape pre-poll narratives, as TVK’s nascent challenge to the DMK-BJP rivalry hangs in the balance. Calls for stricter crowd control protocols grow louder, with implications for India’s mass gatherings.
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