40 dead, 124 injured following the political rally in India

The number of deaths following a jostling during a political rally for a popular Indian actor and politician in the southern state of Tamil Nadu rose to 40, the Minister of State Health said on Sunday, while doctors are treated at least 124 injured in hospitals.

My Subramanian told the Associated Press that 36 victims had died when they had been taken to hospital on Saturday evening and four others died later. He said the injured were largely stable. The dead included nine children, said Subramanian.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Karur district on Saturday to attend the rally by Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, popularly and professionally known as Vijay, in the middle of the stifling heat. Vijay is one of the most efficient players in Tamil Nadu and presents itself in the elections of the state elections which will be held at the beginning of 2026.

In the states of southern India, in particular the Tamil Nadu, some cinema stars have a larger than life status, rooted in the old Tamil culture of the worship of the heroes. Many have become prosperous politicians and some have even received divine status.

S. Sabesan, a local resident who was in the rally, said that Vijay was supposed to address the rally around noon, but arrived more than six hours late. He said that at that time, a large crowd had smothered the roads.

“Many barricades and strings have been placed around the place” for the management of crowds, said Sabesan, adding that the crowd became so large that “no one could control it”.

Several people “passed out by addressing the rally. Vijay interrupted the speech and called an ambulance to help them,” said Sabesan, a 42 -year -old textile businessman.

R. Rajendaran, a Karur lawyer who witnessed the rally and a subsequent accident, said that at one point, Vijay had thrown bottles of water in the crowd from his country vehicle.

“When he decided to leave and his vehicle started to move, cropotion broke out while hundreds of his fans and supporters chased his vehicle,” said Rajendaran. “This is what led to the jostling.”

Subramanian, the minister, said “there was an indiscipline” during the rally. The government has announced an investigation led by a former judge who will submit the report in a month, he said.

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin, announced more than $ 11,000 each to the families of the dead.

Vijay retired to act in 2024 and launched his own political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. He attracted massive crowds to his public meetings.

A few hours after the accident, Vijay offered its condolences.

“My heart is broken,” he posted on X. “I twist with unbearable and indescribable pain and sorrow that words cannot express.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that “the unhappy incident” was “deeply sad”.

The buffers are relatively common in India when large crowds come together. In January, at least 30 people were killed while tens of thousands of Hindu rushed to bathe in a sacred river during the Maha Kumbh festival, the largest religious gathering in the world.