What court feared has happened; Madras HC had raised concerns about possible accident at TVK rallies earlier

CHENNAI: The rally in Karur turned into a major disaster following concerns raised by the Madras High Court. The High Court had last week asked whether such a large number of people would not cause accidents and what would happen if something happened to people. The court also directed the government to collect money in advance from political parties organising such rallies as compensation for damage to public and private property.

The High Court had asked who will take responsibility in case of untoward incidents while considering a TVK plea challenging the restrictions imposed by the Tamil Nadu Police. The court was referring to the incident that happened at TVK rally held in Tiruchirappalli, where one person died. The court observed that it is the responsibility of political leaders to ensure the safety of the people who come to attend their rallies. The High Court also pointed out that if safety cannot be ensured, children, the elderly and the differently-abled should not be encouraged to participate in such crowded rallies.

Tamil media reported that many people had fallen unconscious by the time Vijay reached the stage. They were not taken to the hospital on time. There were no precautions to be taken to handle such a large crowd. The police had reportedly given permission for 10,000 people at the rally but the actual turnout swelled to nearly 30,000 to 35,000. Many people had collapsed on the first day of the rally as well. The TVK leadership was also not ready to prepare an ambulance system for rescue operations.