Two-year-old Dhuru Vishnu, tragically the youngest fatality in the stampede that has shaken both Tamil Nadu and the nation, was attending the Karur rally on Saturday with his relatives.
The toddler’s head was wrapped in the colours of actor-politician Vijay’s TVK party.
Vishnu’s aunt later recounted that he had cried and clung to her as they set off for the event, reported NDTV.
“So we took him along. As soon as Vijay came, they cut off the electricity supply. People could not hear him, so everyone tried to move closer to the bus. We cannot blame Vijay for the incident. It was our mistake. We should not have taken a child there,” she said.
Among the ten children killed in the tragedy are Hemalatha (8), Sailetsana (8), Sai Jeeva (4), Dhuru Vishnu (2), Sanuj (13), Dharanika (14), Pazhaniammal (11), Kokila (14), Krithik (7) and Kishore (17).
Death toll rises to 40
The death toll following a crush at a political rally in Tamil Nadu has tragically reached 40, the state’s health minister confirmed on Sunday, with medics treating at least 124 injured patients in hospital.
Ma Subramanian informed The Associated Press that 36 victims were pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital on Saturday evening, and a further four later succumbed to their injuries. He added that those who were injured were mostly in a stable condition.
The tragedy occurred in the district of Karur on Saturday, where tens of thousands of people had gathered amid sweltering heat for the rally led by Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, who is professionally and popularly known as Vijay.
Vijay, one of Tamil Nadu’s most successful actors, is currently campaigning ahead of state assembly elections scheduled for early 2026.
According to report, the witness accounts indicate that the stampede was caused by massive overcrowding and a breakdown of crowd control measures after Vijay’s six-hour late arrival led to exhaustion, followed by commotion when his vehicle began to move.
Subramanian, the minister, said “there was indiscipline” at the rally.
The government has announced a probe led by a former judge who will submit the report in a month, he said.
Hours after the accident, Vijay offered his condolences.
“My heart is shattered,” he posted on X. “I am writhing in unbearable, indescribable pain and sorrow that words cannot express.”