Karur stampede: 'Not blaming anyone, but these are facts': 27,000 gathered at TVK Vijay's rally meant for 10,000, says Tamil Nadu DGP

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu director-general of Police (in-charge) G. Venkataraman said TVK was granted permission to conduct the meeting between 3pm and 10pm, but the party’s social media handle called on supporters to gather from noon. Vijay arrived only at 7.40pm. As he entered the venue, large numbers of cadres followed his vehicle, merged with the crowd already present, leading to a sudden surge, the DGP said. Officials estimated that while 10,000 cadres were expected, nearly 27,000 gathered at the venue. Police said 500 personnel were deployed, but the location’s layout made it difficult to assign additional manpower. Venkataraman said responsibility for crowd management was also placed with the organisers, as per the undertaking given to the police. “Why the accident happened an