Vijay announces ₹20 lakh for kin of Karur stampede victims, ₹2 lakh for injured

At least 39 people were killed and 56 others injured in Tamil Nadu's Karur at Vijay's rally.

Actor-politician Vijay has announced an ex-gratia of ₹20 lakh for the kin of the deceased in Karur stampede and a relief of ₹2 lakh for those injured. At least 39 people were killed and 56 others were injured in the stampede at his rally in Tamil Nadu's Karur on Saturday evening.

The stampede that broke out at actor-politician Vijay's rally yesterday at Karur claimed at least 39 lives, leaving several others injured and in critical conditions.(TVK/ANI Photo)

Terming it an “irreparable loss”, Vijay said, “The faces of all of you whom I have met keep flashing through my mind. The more I think of my loved ones who show affection and care, the more my heart slips further from its place."

“My heart and mind are overwhelmed with profound heaviness. In the midst of the immense grief of losing our loved ones, I am at a loss for words to express the pain my heart endures. My eyes and mind are clouded with sorrow,” he wrote on X.

While the organisers had booked for a ground anticipating 10,000 people, nearly three times more people turned up for the rally.

The venue lacked sufficient food and water for the crowd during their waiting hours under the hot sun, the top cop added.

The official also said that while the rally was planned from 3 pm to 10 pm, crowds started assembling as early as 11 am on Saturday. “By the time Vijay arrived at 7:40 pm., the crowd had already been waiting for hours without sufficient food and water. That is the reality,” the police official further said.