Overview
- Police cleared a Dec. 9 public meeting at Puducherry’s Uppalam Expo Ground with a 5,000 cap, QR-code entry only and no roadshow permitted.
- Residents of neighbouring Tamil Nadu were told not to attend, and children, pregnant women, elderly people and differently abled individuals were asked to stay away.
- Organisers were ordered to provide water, toilets, ambulances, first aid and fire cover, with police deploying about 800 personnel, creating 500-person enclosures and adding CCTV surveillance and designated parking zones.
- It is Vijay’s first major public appearance since the Sept. 27 Karur stampede; reports say he will speak from the same campaign vehicle that was seized after the tragedy and later released following court actions.
- For a Dec. 16 rally in Erode, police denied the initial site over space and safety concerns, and TVK has filed fresh petitions for a larger 16-acre venue near Perundurai with 10 acres for parking and an estimated turnout of roughly 30,000 people, which officials are now processing.