Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday expressed deep sorrow over the Karur stampede in Tamil Nadu, which claimed 39 lives during a rally addressed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay. Calling the tragedy a grim reminder of serious flaws in India’s crowd management system, Tharoor urged governments to take immediate action.
Tharoor Calls for National Policy on Crowd Safety
“This is heartbreaking. Such tragedies continue to occur repeatedly despite earlier incidents,” Tharoor said. He emphasized the need for a systematic national policy to protect people attending large gatherings.
“For me, the argument is about what we can do as a systematic policy nationally to protect ordinary people. Whether people go to listen to a politician, a movie star, or a cricketer, there should be certain rules, standards, and protocols in place,” he stressed.
Appeal to Centre and States
The Congress leader appealed to both the central and state governments to agree on a set of strict crowd management procedures to avoid further tragedies.
“At the same time I earnestly appeal… so that we do not needlessly suffer the grief and anguish of loved ones being lost in these terrible stampedes,” he added.
PM Modi Announces Relief
Following the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the families of the deceased. The injured will receive ₹50,000 each.
Sharing the announcement on X, the PMO said: “PM Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF to be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the unfortunate incident at a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.”
