On the evening of September 27 local time, a political rally in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu stumbled down, killing 39 people and injuring more than 40 people. The rally was initiated by a local actress and promoted its founding political parties to participate in local elections early next year.
According to the Indian Times, the rally was originally planned to take place in the city center of Karul, but due to concerns of traffic paralysis, the police temporarily moved it to the suburbs in order to accommodate more people. The official permission is limited to 10,000 people, but the actual population is close to 30,000. A large number of supporters came from the surrounding area, some walking, some by tractor or bus, further increasing the pressure on traffic and the venue.
At a press conference on September 28 local time, State Police Chief G. Wenthalaman also attributed the cause of the accident to the crowd’s waiting time too long with the late Vigger. He noted that the official account of Vigger’s political party TVK announced Vigger’s arrival at noon, causing the crowd to begin gathering from 11 am, while the actual arrival time was delayed to the evening.
At present, the aftermath of the accident is under way. The bodies of the victims have been identified and handed over to their families one after another, and the injured are being treated in several hospitals. The government has announced an in-depth investigation into the cause of the accident, focusing on the gap between the organizers' declaration and the actual number of people, the implementation of security measures, and whether there are any omissions in the coordination between the police and the organizers.