Overview

• The stampede-like crush erupted during Vijay’s evening address at Velusamypuram in Karur, with officials confirming 36 dead, including eight children and 16 women, and dozens injured.
• Turnout far exceeded approvals for roughly 30,000 people, with local estimates running to at least 60,000, overwhelming barricades and emergency access.
• Vijay halted his speech, distributed water and called for police help as ambulances struggled to reach the injured, who were treated in Karur and referred to hospitals in Tiruchirappalli and Erode.
• Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced ex-gratia payments of ₹10 lakh to families of the deceased, deployed additional medical teams and constituted an inquiry led by retired Justice Aruna Jagadeesan.
• Karur police registered a case against TVK functionaries and began examining video evidence, while the Union Home Ministry sought a report as investigators assess reports of a sudden surge linked to a missing child or a power outage.