The day after a stampede during his political rally in Karur had killed nearly 40 people, a bomb threat was made at actor-turned-politician and TVK chief Vijay's residence in Neelankarai, Chennai, and security was stepped up. Security was enhanced at Vijay's home after he arrived there at midnight Saturday, returning home from the disturbing loss of life at his rally in Karur, with additional local Chennai city police and CRPF personnel deployed around his residence.
In his first reaction to the Karur tragedy after arriving home, he expressed he was "shattered" and suffering "unbearable pain" regarding the loss of life at his rally. Offering condolences, he expressed his sympathies to the families of the deceased and prayed for the recovery of the injured.
Later, in a second statement, Vijay expressed deeper sadness regarding the Karur
incident, stating he was "overwhelmed with sadness." He announced he would be providing financial compensation for families of the deceased - 20 lakhs each - and 2 lakhs each for injured participants.
“No words of comfort can ease this irreparable loss," he said, adding that he stood with the bereaved families in their grief.
During a rally held by actor Vijay in Karur on Saturday, at least 40 individuals lost their lives and an additional 100 were hurt in the stampede. G Venkataraman, the Director General of Police for Tamil Nadu, reported that organizers had estimated attendance at 10,000, but attendance reached nearly 27,000 in a 1.2 lakh sq ft area.
About 500 members of law enforcement were present. Venkataraman further reported that the crowd began gathering early, following an announcement at noon on TVK's official social media, since the rally had been granted permission to operate from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
“People had been waiting since 11 a.m. without food or water in the heat, and Vijay eventually arrived only at 7:40 p.m.," he said, noting that it was “too early" to determine the exact trigger of the deadly surge.
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