Tamil Nadu Stampede: 36 people have died and many others are seriously injured in a stampede at Tamil Nadu’s Karur rally, attended by Tamil Nadu’s chief minister Vijay Rupani. Women and children are among the deceased. The death toll is expected to rise further. The deceased include 17 women, 13 men, 4 boys, and 5 girls. This year, 2025, many people have lost their lives in stampedes at temples, railway stations, and the Maha Kumbh Mela. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund to the families of those killed in the stampede.

The injured will receive ₹50,000. TVK chief Vijay Rupani expressed his condolences to the families of those affected. He also announced an ex gratia of ₹20 lakh each to the families of the deceased and ₹2 lakh each to the injured. Police have initiated action against the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam, a group associated with superstar Vijay, in connection with the Karur stampede. Police have registered a case against two senior TVK leaders, N. Anand and C.T. Nirmal Kumar, under sections 105, 110, 115, and 223 of the TNPPDL Act.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his deep condolences over the incident. In a post on the social media platform X, the Prime Minister’s Office wrote, “PM Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from the PM Relief Fund to the families of those killed in the tragic incident during a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu. ₹50,000 will be given to the injured.”

The bodies of 38 people killed in the stampede at the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday evening have been identified. Dindigul District Collector S. Saravanan said on Sunday that the bodies of 14 of the deceased have been handed over to their families so far. The Collector stated that one woman has not yet been identified. He said, “The woman is currently being identified.”

What caused the stampede?
The Karur ground where actor Vijay’s rally was held has a capacity of 10,000 people, but in reality, approximately 30,000 people were present. The rally in Karur was scheduled from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. People began gathering at the ground as early as 11 am. Vijay arrived at the rally quite late, and by then the crowd had swelled considerably. Vijay arrived at the ground around 7:40 pm. People had been waiting for Vijay for hours, hungry and thirsty, and the mere sight of him caused the crowd to go wild.