Stampede at Tamil Nadu Rally for Actor-Politician Vijay Leaves 39 Dead

A political rally in southern India turned deadly when a massive crowd surge killed 39 people in Tamil Nadu, officials confirmed Sunday.

An estimated 27,000 people packed a public road in Karur district on Saturday to see actor-turned-politician Vijay, far exceeding the 10,000 expected. After hours of waiting in sweltering heat without adequate food, water or crowd control, panic erupted. Witnesses said the chaos was worsened by delays, a lack of police presence and even people falling from tree branches onto the crowd.

Vijay, who launched his political party in 2024, was addressing the rally when the surge began. Videos circulating online showed him tossing water bottles to fainting supporters shortly before he was forced to halt his speech.

“My heart is shattered at this tragedy,” the 51-year-old star said in a statement.

State Chief Minister M.K. Stalin confirmed the death toll had risen to 39, including nine children, and announced a judicial inquiry. State police chief G. Venkataraman said the crowd had been told Vijay would arrive at noon, but he did not appear until 7:40 p.m. “The people lacked sufficient food and water under the hot sun,” he said.

Survivors described terrifying scenes. “I was pushed down by the crowd all of a sudden. There was absolutely no space to move,” said B. Kanishka, who fainted during the crush. Another survivor, Karthick, said the disaster could have been avoided “if people were not forced to wait for hours together.”