Karur rally stampede at Vijay event kills 41, High Court orders SIT

A stampede at a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu, on September 27 that took place during a campaign event for actor-turned-politician Vijay left 41 people dead and dozens injured, officials and court records show. The crush, which occurred after thousands surged toward the leader's convoy, unfolded shortly after 7:30 p.m. at a venue that police say was vastly over capacity.

Investigations and independent factfinders have attributed the tragedy to a combination of overcrowding, inadequate crowd management and delays that intensified the situation. Police reported a turnout of about 27,000 people at the rally despite permission being granted for roughly 10,000. Authorities say Vijay arrived several hours later than scheduled, a delay that, combined with hot weather, limited drinking water and insufficient safety measures, contributed to people fainting and the subsequent panic. Some victims were reported to have fallen into open drains near the site, and witnesses said a power cut and a backup generator failure plunged parts of the venue into darkness during the chaos.

A factfinding team of opposition MPs described the incident as a result of administrative failure and gross...