AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) on 2 October 2025 placed the blame for the Karur stampede on the DMK government. Speaking at the ‘Makkalai Kaapom, Tamizhagathai Meetpom’ event in Dharmapuri, he said that “the stampede occurred because of the failure of the Tamil Nadu government to provide proper safety and protection to the crowd gathered at the rally”.
Calling the deaths an unparalleled tragedy, Palaniswami said, “The 41 lives lost in Karur is an unprecedented tragedy, which will never be forgotten,” and added that it was the duty of the chief minister to ensure that all party leaders and people participating in any political event remain safe and protected. “So, the government must take responsibility for the Karur incident,” he said.
He also pointed to the commission of inquiry set up by the state, saying, “The people are seeking answers from the government. Now, the state has formed a one-man commission of inquiry. We shall wait for its report. When we held a meeting in Karur, we were also not provided the (safe) venue near the Karur bus stand.” Commenting further on the probe, he said, “It’s for the commission to explain what had happened in Karur. But why are senior IAS officials and police officials trying to justify themselves. This is unacceptable.”
Palaniswami argued that the DMK would have ensured extensive security if it had organised such a meeting. “Had the DMK conducted a meeting, security would have been deployed everywhere, even at vacant places,” he remarked.
Earlier in the day, the AIADMK leader paid tributes to those who lost their lives in the Karur incident. Taking exception to the press conference held by revenue secretary P. Amudha and other senior officials, who denied allegations of mismanagement by the government side at TVK president Vijay’s rally in Karur on Saturday, he raised suspicion that the briefings were an attempt to sway the inquiry. In his post on X earlier, the opposition leader questioned the need for bureaucrats to take the lead in public communication. He wrote, “Following the tragic incident in Karur, the Stalin government is in a state of complete disarray. It appears that the government’s sole aim is to quickly cover up its failure to protect the people and shift the blame for this accident onto others. When there are elected representatives and ministers, what is the necessity for the Revenue Secretary to give interviews to the media? When a commission of inquiry, headed by retired High Court Judge Mrs. Aruna Jagadeesan, has already been appointed and has begun its work, what is the necessity for a secretary, even in the capacity of a government spokesperson, to speak on such matters? Should this not be considered an attempt to influence the opinions of that commission and an affront to justice? However, the Stalin government lacks any form of ethics or morality; their primary concern is to escape responsibility for this horrific incident in which 41 innocent people lost their lives. Furthermore, the fact that this government has staged such a drama to conceal the truth of the incident has created significant suspicion among the public.”
The AIADMK also questioned the state government for not releasing the Government Order on the formation of the Aruna Jegadeesan Commission of Inquiry, saying the terms of reference of the commission should be made public.
கரூர் துயரச்சம்பவத்துக்குப் பிறகு ஸ்டாலின் அரசு முற்றிலும் சீர்குலைந்த நிலையில் உள்ளது. மக்களைப் பாதுகாப்பதில் ஏற்பட்ட தங்களின் தோல்வியை விரைவாக மறைத்து, இந்த விபத்திற்கான காரணத்தை பிறர்மீது சுமத்த வேண்டும் என்பதே அரசின் நோக்கமாகத் தெரிகிறது.
தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட மக்கள்…
— Edappadi K Palaniswami-SayYEStoWomenSafety&AIADMK (@EPSTamilNadu) September 30, 2025
(With inputs from The New Indian Express)
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