Tharoor calls Karur stampede 'heartbreaking,' demands national crowd management policy
What's the story
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has expressed his grief over the recent stampede at a rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu. The incident, which took place at a rally addressed by actor-turned-politician Vijay, left 40 dead and scores injured. Tharoor called the tragedy "heartbreaking" and stressed that such incidents expose systemic flaws in crowd management across India.
Safety measures
Tragic situation, says Tharoor
Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor said, "It's a very tragic and painful situation. Something is wrong in our country with crowd management. Every year, there seems to be an incident." He recalled similar incidents like the Bengaluru stampede and stressed the need for a national policy on crowd safety. "There should be certain rules, standards, and protocols in place," he added.
Government action
Central, state governments must agree on strict procedures: Tharoor
Tharoor also urged both central and state governments to agree on "very strict procedures" for crowd control. He said that without clear national standards, incidents like Karur will continue to take innocent lives. The Congress MP's remarks come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation for the victims' families. Each family of the deceased will get ₹2 lakh from the PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
Compensation details
PM Modi announces compensation for victims' families
The injured in the incident will be given ₹50,000 each as announced by PM Modi. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu CM Stalin has announced an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh for the families of those who died in the stampede and ₹1 lakh for those injured. Vijay himself announced a compensation of ₹20 lakh for the families of the people who died, as well as a ₹2 lakh sum for those injured.