Before the deadly stampede: Vijay rally tragedy exposes fandom, politics, and chaos

A political rally for actor-turned-politician Vijay turned deadly on September 27 night, leaving at least 38 people dead, including 16 women and six children, and more than 150 injured, many in critical condition at hospitals across Karur and Trichy.

The tragedy struck when supporters who had climbed an overloaded tree branch fell onto the crowd behind Vijay’s campaign van. Panic quickly spread, transforming a gathering of fans into a disaster scene.

At Karur Medical College, Dr. D Sundaresan reported treating 48 victims — 23 men and 25 women—while authorities struggled to manage the inflow of critically injured patients.

The incident highlights Tamil Nadu’s volatile mix of cinema fandom and politics. Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), is new on the political scene, yet its rallies already resemble blockbuster film releases — intense, emotional, and often uncontrollable.

“This is not a political crowd in the traditional sense,” said Gopalan Ravindran, retired communications professor at the Central University of Tamil Nadu. “They are Vijay fans first, party members second. Such crowds can be both beautiful and monstrous. Saturday, it became the latter.”

Earlier that day, Vijay’s Namakkal event saw five attendees collapse from heat. By 7 pm, when Vijay reached Karur after a three-hour journey, the crowd had swelled far beyond the permitted 10,000, reaching an estimated 30,000. Despite 500 police deployed on-site, crowd control proved impossible. For context, a week earlier, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami drew 25,000 people to the same location without incident.

For weeks, Vijay has publicly challenged police restrictions on his rallies. In Trichy, he mocked officers for instructing him not to wave excessively or smile at the crowd, framing their guidance as absurd. TVK also approached the courts, claiming that DMK-imposed restrictions were “onerous and discriminatory.”

The Madras High Court responded by suggesting a system of security deposits for political parties to cover potential damages, emphasizing that enforcement of liability laws has been weak. “Strict conditions must be imposed,” Justice N. Sathish Kumar said.

Now, questions of responsibility loom large. “If you want the power of mass rallies, you must also accept the responsibility,” said a senior IPS officer familiar with the arrangements. Critics warn TVK cannot distance itself from the nature of its gatherings.

The state government faces a delicate challenge. Any strong enforcement risks alienating voters drawn to Vijay’s popularity, while failure to maintain safety has already cost dozens of lives. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin visited Trichy at 1 am to oversee relief efforts, while the government announced ₹10 lakh compensation for each victim and authorised emergency transfers to private hospitals. Vijay returned to Chennai, avoiding the media but meeting police and party officials on the way.

Tamil Nadu has a long history of massive political gatherings fueled by film stars — C N Annadurai, M G Ramachandran, and J. Jayalalithaa all drew large crowds during their political careers. What is new, experts say, is the digital-era intensity of Vijay’s fandom. Supporters mobilise through social media, WhatsApp groups, and convoy-like gatherings that swell crowds beyond control.

Ravindran likened the phenomenon to a psychological “real” stage — something overwhelming, monstrous, and difficult to explain.

The stampede stands as a stark reminder of the dangers when cinematic adulation and political ambition intersect, leaving a community grieving lives lost and futures uncertain.