A day after the stampede at Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) founder Vijay’s rally in the historical city of Karur left 40 people dead and several injured, Congress’s Karur MP Jothimani speaks to The Indian Express about the tragedy, its probable causes, and the way ahead to prevent such incidents. Excerpts:
What is unfolding before us is a tragedy of huge magnitude. Those who lost their lives were all poor people. I have spoken to those injured. They told me they had gathered around 9 am. They were told that he (Vijay) would come at around noon, but he landed only at around 5 or 6 pm. So, they were waiting for nearly nine hours without water while being cramped in that space. Some of them may have fainted as the crowd was huge, and nobody noticed who fainted. This may have happened while he (Vijay) was speaking. Some people may have fallen, while others were listening to his speech. As the crowd surged forward, people walked over those who had fallen.
Secondly, on Saturdays, we generally don’t have big political meetings of this nature in Karur. Saturday is a very important day for Karur because that is the day when goods are loaded for dispatch to other places. So, hundreds of trucks are usually in the city. There would have been vehicles on every small street. Even if 2,000 people assemble, it would be considered a big crowd. It is also a salary day and some 50,000 people who work in various companies also come out on the streets to collect their pay. It is possible they too joined the gathering. Some people say he (Vijay) also brought people from Paramathi Velur (in Namakkal). So, it looks like they did not plan anything properly; the crowd was just too huge.
Karur is not big enough to handle large gatherings, but we generally don’t have roadshows in the city. Nobody has done it. If we have to assemble more than 10,000 or 15,000 people, we go to the outskirts. This was not followed. I have visited all the hospitals twice already, met the families, and heard tragic stories. You don’t have words to console them. The government has responded swiftly.
* But the TVK must have taken permission from the district administration?
They did it in the permitted place, but the crowds were overwhelming. Some people are saying he switched off the lights in the vehicle and went behind his seat. So, he was not visible to the people who were waiting to see him and hence they followed him.
In a way, a huge crowd followed him and descended on the place where he was to give his speech. Now, we will have to think. We have to clearly define the rules and regulations: how many people can come, what kind of people can attend and if children can come to these meetings. If children come, who will take responsibility? If a political party brings such huge crowds, who will take responsibility? You bring 25,000 people and tell the police to handle it. I am not sure whether the police were equipped to do that. They can handle law and order. But how can a political party bring in 25,000–30,000 people every other day and expect the police to manage? Even if you deploy 2,000 police personnel on that road, how does it help?
* There are reports of a power cut during the meeting …
I am not sure. I reached the site four hours after the tragedy struck. We went to meet the Chief Minister (M K Stalin) yesterday. We were all in Chennai. It is the responsibility of the parties who bring people to ensure that they are taken care of, provided with water, space, and vehicles, and then sent back safely. The DMK does it, the Congress does it, the AIADMK does it. This was missing here. It is a new party. They have absolutely no idea, perhaps. How come the local people of the TVK did not tell their leadership that Saturday was not the right day for such a big event in Karur city?
Even now, the responsibility is on us, the local MP, MLAs, ministers, CM, Deputy CM, and district and state administration. Till 5.30 am, I was in the hospital; I returned by 7–8 pm and now I am going again. The point is that whatever happened in Karur should never happen again in any other city. There are many cities such as Karur in Tamil Nadu. The case with big cities such as Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Trichy is different, as they have many arterial roads. But in a smaller city such as Karur, there is only one road to reach it.
* What is your suggestion?
The CM has already constituted a one-member committee. There should be clear rules. In our country, there is no dearth of rules, but they are often flouted. People in responsible positions should ensure that rules are both properly framed and strictly followed.
Consultations can be held with all political parties. After all, we have been dealing with this issue of holding meetings for ages. You must consider the size of the city: it is like a container, and you can only pour in a certain quantity of water. Political parties should take responsibility. If you bring people, if you ask them to come and gather them, then who will take responsibility? We all do that. We cannot bring back those who lost their lives, but we must ensure that nobody goes through such a horrific experience again
