Tamil Nadu Stampede- Tamil Nadu Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Law and Order, S Davidson Devasirvatham on Sunday stated that the Karur stampede was not an “intelligence failure”. Questions have been raised over the tragic incident, which occurred during a rally held by TVK chief and actor, leaving 40 dead. While Vijay and his party have alleged conspiracy, others have pointed out to a failure on the part of the DMK government in the state. ADGP Devasirvatham, dismissing reports of an intelligence failure, stated that adequate arrangements had been made for the political rally.
Tamil Nadu Stampede- What did the ADGP say?
The massive crowd at Vijay’s rally on Saturday had turned chaotic, triggering panic. Several attendees fainted and were rushed to nearby hospitals. It is alleged that overcrowding at the venue led to the tragedy. Speaking on the incident on Sunday, the ADGP stated the reason why TVK was not allowed to conduct their event at Light House Raundana. He said that as the place was considered a high-risk area, with a petrol pump on the left and the Amaravati River Bridge on the right, the permission was denied.
“They (TVK) requested permission to conduct this event at a place called Light House Raundana. This was not accepted by the police because it was considered a high-risk place, with a petrol pump on the left and the Amaravati River bridge on the right. So the officers decided it was not advisable to give permission there. They requested another place and that was also inspected, and they were told that the capacity of people they were going to bring would not be able to be accommodated there,”ADGP said.
“So, keeping this as an alternative, we suggested this place because recently a political party had organised an event there with about 12,000 to 15,000 people, and it had passed off very peacefully. So, they also went and saw the place. Finally, they agreed. They gave us in writing that we could be allowed to hold the event there,” he added.
Responding on the reports of intelligence failure and no adequate streetlights at the venue, ADGP Devasirvatham stated that it wasn’t the case. While the ADGP informed that street lighting was sufficient at the venue, he acknowledged that certain conditions for crowd management had been violated. “No, it was not an intelligence failure. There were adequate streetlights there. Yes, some conditions were violated. A case has been registered and the investigation will reveal who all are involved,” he stated.
#WATCH | Karur, Tamil Nadu: On the Karur stampede, ADGP Law and Order, S. Davidson Devasirvatham says, "…they (TVK) requested permission to conduct this event at a place called Light House Raundana. This was not accepted by the police because it was considered a high-risk… pic.twitter.com/2pDGtjRxix
— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2025
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