Overview

• Officials confirmed 40 deaths from the September 27 crowd surge in Karur, including 13 men, 17 women and 10 children, with dozens injured.
• Police registered a negligence case against TVK office-bearers and said nearly 500 personnel were deployed for crowd management at the rally.
• TVK moved the Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench seeking a CBI or independent investigation, and an injured attendee filed a separate plea to halt permissions for further TVK meetings pending findings.
• Preliminary police accounts cite an unexpectedly large turnout, the leader’s delayed arrival and long hours without food or water as proximate triggers for the crush.
• Ex-gratia was announced by multiple sources, including Rs 20 lakh per bereaved family from TVK, Rs 10 lakh from the state, and Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s relief, as Justice Aruna Jagadeesan inspected the site and met victims.