Preliminary reports suggest that some school students and an infant perished in the crush triggered by a sudden rush at the venue

xChennai: The stampede in Karur that claimed at least 31 lives, including school children and an infant, and left 40 others injured on Saturday, was a disaster waiting to happen. The unruly behaviour of crowds gathered to hear Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) founder Vijay turned fatal, raising the haunting question on everyone’s mind—even as the tragedy unfolded: Where was Vijay?

Eyewitnesses said the chaos erupted even as Vijay was addressing the tightly packed gathering. Amid the panic, he reportedly left the venue in haste without waiting to know the fate of the victims. Many believe the tragedy could have been avoided with proper crowd management, both by

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