What happened at actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam political rally at Karur, where 41 people lost their lives, reveals the dark underpinnings of celebrity worship in our part of the world. Thousands of unsuspecting fans who gathered for a glimpse of their favourite star were let down by poor crowd control, with the fall of a tree branch causing panic and a stampede.

There were umpteen reasons thrown around to explain this systemic failure – uncoordinated crowd management, delays in Vijay’s arrival at the spot, and the way the event was organised. But these are incidental details in a tragedy that took lives, including that of children. Let not the blame-shifting or PR narratives stop us from reflecting on the deeper questions.

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