AIADMK General Secretary and Opposition Leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) squarely blamed the DMK government for the Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives during actor and TVK founder Vijay’s political rally. Addressing reporters at the State Secretariat after leading a walkout from the Tamil Nadu Assembly, he said gross negligence and lack of proper security led to the horrific incident.EPS said the AIADMK raised the Karur tragedy under Rule 56, but Chief Minister M.K. Stalin failed to give a clear or satisfactory reply. “We moved an adjournment motion on the issue. Instead of allowing the main Opposition to speak first, the Speaker permitted the Chief Minister. We still respected the Chair and listened to him, but his statement lacked facts and accountability,” he said.
The AIADMK leader stated that if the government had ensured adequate police deployment and crowd management, the disaster could have been avoided. He pointed out that Vijay had held rallies in four districts earlier, and officials were aware of the likely crowd size. “Still, the event was allowed in Veluchamipuram, a venue previously denied to the AIADMK citing narrow roads. This shows deliberate negligence,” he charged.
EPS accused the government of trying to “stage-manage” the investigation by quickly announcing a one-man inquiry commission and rushing through post-mortems. “Karur government hospital reportedly had only two or three tables for autopsies. How could 39 post-mortems be completed so fast when each takes at least one and a half hours? This raises doubts about the government’s intentions. It’s a drama to hide the truth,” he alleged.
He also questioned the conflicting statements made by top officials. “The DGP and ADGP are giving interviews from the Secretariat instead of investigating in the field. They claim 500 police were deployed, while the Chief Minister says 606. Why the contradictions? Why the cover-up?” he asked.
EPS further accused the DMK of repeatedly blocking investigations into sensitive cases. “They went to the Supreme Court to stop probes into the Kallakurichi student death, the Armstrong murder, the kidney transplant scam, and the Anna Nagar rape case. They fear the truth,” he charged.
Reiterating his stand, Palaniswami said the Karur tragedy was a result of administrative failure and lack of foresight. “The DMK government is fully responsible for the deaths of 41 innocent people. Their negligence and arrogance have cost Tamil lives. The people deserve truth and justice,” he asserted.