‘Something wrong in our country…’: Tharoor on Karur stampede
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Representational.
Thiruvananthapuram: On the stampede incident at actor-turned politician Vijay’s rally in Tamil Nadu’s Karur, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed his grief, saying that the incident was very tragic and painful. Adding the incident to the Bengaluru stampede and other stampede incidents in India in the recent past, Tharoor said that something is wrong with crowd management in our country, as every year the nation witnesses something similar.
The MP Kerala’s Thirvananthapuram told reporters there, “Its a very tragic and painful situation. Something is wrong in our country with crowd management. Every year, there seems to be an incident. We remember Bengaluru. It is very heartbreaking when we hear children being killed in these stampedes,” Hindustan Times quoted.
He said that there should be certain rules, standards, protocols, etc., in place for events which are attended or run by celebrities like movie stars or cricketers. People go to such events in the spirit of listening to these celebrities, and therefore, there should be a systematic policy nationally to protect ordinary people.
He said that he is appealing to the Union government and all state governments to agree on a set of very strict procedures to maintain crowds in any circumstances.
The stampede tragedy happened at Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s (TVK) rally in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district, killing 40 people, including ten children, and injuring 70 others.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of those who lost their lives in the stampede.
Vijay, who initially faced criticism for leaving for his Chennai residence without taking part in rescue efforts, later posted a condolence message on X, expressing grief. He subsequently announced Rs 20 lakh for the families of those killed and Rs 2 lakh for the injured.
“This is an irreparable loss. No words of comfort can truly ease the pain of losing our loved ones. Yet, as a member of your family, I feel it is my duty to stand by you at this time. I therefore intend to provide ₹20 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives and ₹2 lakh each to those who were injured and are undergoing treatment. Though this sum is no match for the loss, it is my duty to stand with you in this hour of grief.”