 "A badge with picture of Vijay, actor and politician, lies amid footwears and other belongings left by attendees at the site of a stampede incident during an election campaign rally held by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party, in Karur district of Tamil Nadu, India, September 28, 2025. Reuters")
What started as a massive show of support for actor-turned-politician Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu , ended in unimaginable tragedy. On Saturday, a stampede at his campaign rally left at least 40 people dead and hundreds more injured.
The disaster unfolded as the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader’s stage vehicle arrived late in the evening. In the scorching heat, the crowd surged forward in excitement to meet their superstar. In the rush, people collapsed, some fainted, and many were crushed in the crush of bodies, and the moments of celebration turned into scenes of chaos and horror.
Among the dead were at least 10 children, a young couple who had been just days away from their wedding, and many other supporters, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who had gathered in hope.
Here are some of their heartbreaking stories.
A 2-year-old becomes the youngest victim
Among the lives lost in the Karur stampede was its youngest victim, a two-year-old boy, Dhuru Vishnu.
His family said the toddler had clung to his aunt, crying as she left for the rally. “So we took him along,” she recalled. But what was meant to be a day of excitement turned tragic.
“As soon as Vijay came, they cut off the electricity supply. People could not hear him, so everyone tried to move closer to the bus. We cannot blame Vijay for the incident. It was our mistake. We should not have taken a child there,” Vishnu’s father said, urging others never to bring children into such crowded gatherings.
Another heart-wrenching visual showed a father crying while carrying the lifeless body of his son, purportedly killed in the stampede. The video has gone viral on social media.
Local resident S Sabesan told the AP that Vijay, whose party TVK is gearing up for its Tamil Nadu Assembly poll debut next year, was scheduled to address the crowd around noon but arrived more than six hours late. By then, the roads had overflowed with people.
“A lot of barricades and ropes were placed around the venue,” Sabesan explained, “but the crowd became so large that nobody could control it.”
Reports later confirmed that nearly 27,000 people had gathered at a venue meant to hold just 10,000, according to NDTV.
Also read: Triple the crowd, half the security: Cops reveal lapses behind Vijay’s Karur rally deaths
A couple just weeks from wedding
Among the many who lost their lives were Gokulasri and Akash, both in their early 20s and set to be married next month. The young couple had gone to the rally full of excitement, but they never returned home. “We told them not to go, but they didn’t listen,” Gokulasri’s mother told The Indian Express.
The evening turned chaotic as the massive crowd grew restless in the heat. Vijay was forced to stop his speech midway when party workers raised the alarm that people were fainting and collapsing. Witnesses said the actor-politician immediately called for police help, threw water bottles into the crowd, and urged people to clear a path for ambulances.
But as he prepared to leave, the situation worsened. R Rajendaran, a lawyer from Karur who saw the chaos unfold, told AP: “When he decided to leave and his vehicle started moving, commotion broke out as hundreds of his fans and supporters chased his vehicle. That is what led to the stampede.”
For Sounder, a local tailor, the tragedy struck close to home. His elder brother was among those who collapsed. “He was moved to a nearby street where women brought water. Many more people were rushing to get a sip of water in that intense heat and rush,” Sounder recalled.
The desperation spilled into nearby homes.
Anupama, a homemaker living near the venue, said her house became a makeshift shelter. “People entered the house, breaking the grilled door; we were struggling to breathe even inside. People occupied our terraces and even sunshades. A part of it broke. We gave them water, some collapsed women were brought in, and we gave them sugar and water to revive them. Some were in bad shape,” she said.
At one point, about 15 people climbed onto a tree branch outside her house to escape the crush. The branch snapped under the weight, killing at least five and sending new waves of panic through the already distressed crowd.
A young mother’s life cut short
Among those who died in the Karur stampede was 22-year-old Brinda, a textile mill worker from Aravakurichi. She had left her two-year-old daughter with relatives so she could attend the rally with friends.
Her sister recounted the desperate hours that followed. “My sister left her child with me and said she was going to attend the rally. We called her around 4 pm, but she did not pick up. We kept trying, but there was no response. Her phone was switched off after 10 pm. This morning, her husband sent her photograph to the organisers, and we came to know she has died,” she told NDTV.
At the Karur Medical College mortuary, the grief was overwhelming. Brinda’s little daughter sat quietly, sipping mango juice as devastated women from the family wept around her. Her husband, Sudan, has been bedridden for the past two months after an accident, leaving the family’s future even more uncertain.
Actor-politician Vijay expressed his condolences, saying he was “overwhelmed by grief.” He announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the families of those who died and Rs 2 lakh for the injured. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also promised support for the victims’ families.
“This amount is, of course, not significant in the face of such a loss. Still, at this moment, it is my duty as one who belongs to your family to stand by you, my dear ones, with a heavy heart. Likewise, I pray to God that all our loved ones who are injured and undergoing treatment recover swiftly and return home,” Vijay said in a post on X.
But for Brinda’s loved ones, no amount of money could replace her. Her sister, questioning why basic arrangements were missing at such a massive public event.
“If you organise a meeting, ensure there is space, ensure there is food and water for people. Just announcing compensation doesn’t fix anything. I don’t want money, I want my sister’s life back. Can they give her life back?” she asked.
Also read: Hathras tragedy: Why do stampedes happen? How to stay safe?
CM MK Stalin on Sunday visited the injured at a hospital in Karur and met the families of the stampede victims.
“The tears shed by the families of those who lost their lives throughout the night, and the pain caused by their grief-filled cries, have not left my heart,” he said in a post on X. The state government has called for a judicial inquiry headed by a retired High Court judge.
On Monday, Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Dr L Murugan also visited the stampede site.
Other victims
According to The Hindu report, citing police sources, the victims have been identified as follows.
M. Thamaraikannan (25) of Baganatham in Dindigul district
A. Hemalatha (28) of Vishwanathapuri in Karur district
A. Sailakshna (8) of Vishwanathapuri in Karur district
A. Saijeeva (4) of Vishwanathapuri in Karur district
D. Suganya (33), Karur
I. Dhanushkumar (24) of Sengal village in Karur district
M. Vadivazhagan (54) of Pasupathipalayam in Karur district
M. Revathi (52) of Erode district
S. Chandra (40) of Emur in Karur district
P. Ramesh (32) of Kodangipatti in Karur district
R. Sanojvarshan (13) of Thanthoni village in Karur district
M. Ravikrishnan (32) of LNS village in Karur district
S. Priyadarshini (35) of Emur village in Karur district
S. Tharanika (14) of Emur village in Karur district
P. Palaniammal (11) of Velusamypuram in Karur district
P. Kokila (14) of Velusamypuram in Karur district
S. Maheswari (45) of Arukampalayam in Karur district
M. Ajita (21) of Aravakurichi in Karur district
K. Malathi (36) of Rayanur North in Karur district
M. Sumathi (50), Karur
B. Manikandan (33) of Vellakoil in Tiruppur district
D. Satish Kumar (34) of Kodumudi in Erode district
S. Krithikyadav (7), Karur
M. Anand (26) of Sukkampatti in Salem district
B. Sankar Ganesh (45) of Gujiliamparai in Dindigul district
S. Vijayarani (42) of Thazhaipatti in Karur district
P. Fathima Banu (29) of Oddanchathram in Dindigul district
G. Kishore (17) of Karur
S. Jaya (55) of Vengamedu in Karur district
K. Arukani (60) of Emur village in Karur district
S. Jayanthi (43) of Velayuthampalayam in Karur district
S. Kokilasri (27) of Uppidamangalam in Karur district
K. Srinath (15) of Mettur in Salem district
K. Mohan (19) of Jambai in Erode district
P. Prithik (10) of Emur village in Karur district
With input from agencies