PM Modi announces ₹2 lakh aid to families of Karur accident victims, ₹50,000 for injured

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): A Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Karur district, Tamil Nadu, turned into a tragedy. A stampede at the rally left 38 people dead and several others seriously injured. This tragic incident has plunged the entire state into mourning.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his deepest condolences over the tragedy. The Prime Minister's Office wrote in a post on the social media platform, "PM Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from the PM Relief Fund to the next of kin of those killed in the tragic incident that occurred during a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu. ₹50,000 will be given to the injured."

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also described the accident as extremely tragic and painful and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. The Chief Minister said, "This accident is extremely tragic and painful. My condolences are with the families of the deceased. The state government will provide all possible assistance." He announced that the families of each deceased will receive financial assistance of ₹10 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. The injured will also receive ₹1 lakh.

The Chief Minister has also ordered the formation of a judicial inquiry commission to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the accident. This commission will be headed by retired High Court judge Justice Aruna Jagadeesan. The commission has been tasked with conducting a thorough investigation and submitting its report to the government.

DGP G. Venkataraman said of the accident, "This is a very unfortunate incident. Following the incident, we immediately responded and deployed 2,000 police personnel, including three Inspectors General of Police, two Deputy Inspectors General of Police, and 10 Superintendents of Police, led by Additional Director General of Police Davidson."

He said the venue was allocated at the request of the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in light of their previous events. Although they had expected a crowd of about 10,000, approximately 27,000 turned up. 500 police officers were deployed for security during Vijay's campaign.