At least 31 dead, over 50 injured at Indian actor-politician Vijay’s rally, officials say

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CHENNAI/BENGALURU (Reuters) -At least 31 people were killed and more than 50 injured on Saturday at a rally held by Tamil actor Vijay, who is campaigning for election, state officials said.

“Thirty-one people died with more than 50 people now hospitalised,” said V. Selvaraj, a senior police official in the district of Karur in Tamil Nadu, where the incident occurred.

Large crowds had gathered for the meeting, part of Vijay’s ongoing state tour for his political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. 

Vijay, who is a well-known actor and goes by only one name, launched a political party last year and began campaigning this month ahead of state elections that are to be held early next year.

State lawmaker Senthil Balaji told reporters that 58 people were hospitalised after what he said was a stampede. He added that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin will visit the area on Sunday.

“The unfortunate incident during a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu, is deeply saddening,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X. 

Calls to Tamil Nadu state’s health ministry and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s office went unanswered.

“The news coming from Karur is worrying,” Stalin said in an X post, adding that he had directed ministers and officials to provide urgent medical aid to those who collapsed at the Karur rally and ordered additional assistance from nearby Tiruchirappalli.

At least 44 doctors from the nearby districts of Tiruchirappalli and Salem were sent to Karur, media reports said.

(Reporting by Devika Nair, Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru and Praveen Paramasivan in Chennai; Writing by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan; editing by Barbara Lewis)