Students, women and children gathered in unprecedented numbers, their enthusiasm palpable in the air. The atmosphere was festive, music played, people laughed and chatted, and the sense of anticipation was infectious. It only took a minor incident to change everything.
Published Sep 28, 2025 | 9:24 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 28, 2025 | 10:26 PM
Relatives at the Karur Government Hospital.
Synopsis: When thousands converged at Velusamypuram in Tamil Nadu’s Karur on Saturday, the air was brimming with festivity as fans of actor-turned-politician Vijay waited in anticipation throughout the day with their families and loved ones. It took only a few minutes of confusion and panic to set off a chain reaction that ultimately claimed 40 lives and left more than a hundred injured. Those who had set out with excitement returned only in grief, with stories of mothers, young couples, and even toddlers among the victims, each mourning an unimaginable loss.
Hemalatha, a 28-year-old mother from Vishwanathapuri, in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district had planned the day carefully.
Her daughters, eight-year-old Sailakshna and four-year-old Saijeeva, were thrilled to accompany her to see their hero, actor-turned-politician Vijay, the founder of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party.
The trio joined thousands of others converging on Velusamypuram on Saturday, 27 September, where Vijay was scheduled to address his supporters as part of his campaign ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. They returned home wrapped in white – lifeless.
Across the district, similar scenes played out. Durga received an enthusiastic call from her family members that morning. “We are going to see Vijay at 3 pm,” one of them told her excitedly, “please take leave and come, let’s go. You stay in Karur only, right.”
Despite their persuasion, Durga chose to stay back. “I told them that I’ll come but I didn’t go,” she later recalled tearfully. “At last both of them left me alone and went. If I went, I would have gone as well.”
In another corner of the district, a mother pleaded desperately with her daughter and the young woman’s fiancé. The couple, set to marry next month, were determined to attend the rally.
“I begged them not to go, but they didn’t listen,” the mother recounted to South First. “Even at 6.30 pm they spoke to me, and I pleaded with them to come back.” It was the last conversation she would ever have with them alive.
As announced, Vijay was expected to arrive between 11 am and noon. From midday onwards, the crowd in Karur district’s Velusamypuram began swelling beyond anyone’s expectations.
An eyewitness, who was positioned near the main area, recalled the scene vividly: “There were about 10 women and 20 boys near us. The crowd was enjoying the music and the atmosphere felt festive.”
As the day wore on and darkness fell, the waiting crowd showed no signs of dispersing. Their dedication was admirable, but it was also becoming dangerous.
The first sign of trouble came when some young attendees, eager for a better view, climbed onto a stage structure. The makeshift platform, never designed to bear such weight, collapsed under them, causing the generator to trip. This seemingly minor incident created the first ripple of chaos in what had been an orderly gathering.
But the real catastrophe struck when Vijay’s vehicle finally arrived at the venue. The crowd, which had been waiting patiently for hours, suddenly surged forward with uncontrollable excitement.
The physics of crowd dynamics took over with deadly efficiency. As thousands of people pressed forward simultaneously, those at the front found themselves trapped against barriers with nowhere to go. The surge from behind continued relentlessly, creating a crushing pressure that human bodies simply could not withstand.
Among those who fell were Hemalatha and her two young daughters—all three lives extinguished in moments. Two-year-old Guruvishnu from Velusamypuram became the youngest victim, while 60-year-old Arukani from Emur village was among the eldest. The tragedy respected no boundaries of age, gender or social status.
The final toll was devastating: 40 people lost their lives, with 17 women, 13 men and 10 children among the deceased. The victims came from across Tamil Nadu—from Karur district itself, but also from Dindigul, Erode, Tiruppur and Salem districts.
For one family, the horror was multiplied. A victim’s brother, barely able to speak through his grief, said: “My brother has two sons. His elder son died. We don’t know where his younger son is. My brother’s wife is admitted to the ICU now. I don’t know what to do. My son’s eye is injured.”
Not everyone at the venue had come intentionally for the rally.
“The person who died was my brother’s son. I’m from Dindigul. He goes to work from here (Karur). Usually he isn’t someone who goes to crowded places, he normally stays away from crowds. He got trapped in the crowd while coming back from work and lost his life,” a relative told South First.
The most heart-wrenching losses were the youngest victims who would never grow up to fulfil their potential. Two-year-old V Guruvishnu from Velusamypuram was the youngest casualty. Four-year-old A Saijeeva from Vishwanathapuri perished alongside her mother and sister. Seven-year-old S Krithikyadav, eight-year-old A Sailakshna, 10-year-old P Prithik from Emur village and 11-year-old P Palaniammal from Velusamypuram also lost their lives.
The tragedy also claimed six teenagers. 13-year-old R Sanojvarshan from Thanthoni village, 14-year-olds P Kokila and S Tharanika from Emur village, 15-year-old K Srinath from Salem district, 17-year-old G Kishore and 19-year-old K Mohan from Erode district.
Ten young adults in their twenties were at life’s prime, building careers and forming families. 21-year-old M Ajita, 22-year-old S Brindha, 23-year-old M Akash, 24-year-old I Dhanushkumar, 25-year-old M Thamaraikannan, 26-year-old M Anand, 27-year-old S Kokilasri, 28-year-olds A Hemalatha and J Gokulapriya, and 29-year-old P Fathima Banu.
Ten middle-aged victims were the backbone of their families. 32-year-olds P Ramesh and M Ravikrishnan, 33-year-olds D Suganya and B Manikandan, 34-year-old D Satish Kumar, 35-year-old S Priyadarshini, 36-year-old K Malathi, 40-year-old S Chandra, 42-year-old S Vijayarani and 43-year-old S Jayanthi left behind families who depended on them.
Seven elder victims brought decades of irreplaceable wisdom. 45-year-olds S Maheswari and B Sankar Ganesh, 50-year-old M Sumathi, 52-year-old M Revathi, 54-year-old M Vadivazhagan, 55-year-old S Jaya and 60-year-old K Arukani.
As forensic experts from various districts arrived to investigate, questions began mounting about crowd management and safety protocols. Despite police deployment and Vijay’s own safety instructions, the measures proved inadequate for the massive turnout.
But for the survivors and the bereaved, no amount of compensation could fill the void left behind. The mother who lost her daughter and future son-in-law spoke for many when she said:
“Just half an hour later, both were lying dead, my daughter and her fiancé. They were supposed to get married next month. Now, both of them are gone.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
