Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai has strongly criticized the ruling DMK government, accusing it of pressuring citizens to conceal its administrative failures. He pointed out the stark contrast between the initial statements given by the deceased victim’s family—who blamed the government for the lack of medical facilities at the temple—and the later remarks by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister P.K. Sekar Babu at the backdrop of stampede incident at the Tiruchendur temple. The minister dismissed concerns about the temple’s infrastructure, claiming that the death was due to the victim’s pre-existing medical condition. He also presented a letter allegedly written by the victim’s family, which seemed to contradict their earlier claims.
Annamalai alleged that the DMK government had coerced the victim’s family into writing the letter in order to secure the release of the body of Om Kumar, who lost his life in the stampede at the Tiruchendur temple. He further demanded that the government provide immediate financial assistance of ₹10 lakh to the bereaved family and take necessary steps to prevent such tragedies in temples in the future.
Sharing his views on his official X account, Annamalai stated, “I have read the letter that Minister Sekar Babu claimed was written by the wife of Mr. Om Kumar from Karaikudi, who tragically lost his life in a stampede at the Tiruchendur temple. I have highlighted certain lines in that letter. It seems to be a letter written under the name of persuasion implying that the body of the deceased would only be released if such a letter was submitted. I also saw the interview given by late Om Kumar’s family to @PTTVOnlineNews yesterday. What a clear contradiction between the contents of the letter and their statements to the media. Minister Sekar Babu, who devalues public lives to cover up his regime’s incompetence, should remember that while a king may delay justice, divine justice strikes at last. I urge the DMK government to immediately provide ₹10 lakh in compensation to Om Kumar’s family, who died in the stampede and take necessary measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in temples in the future.”
In his statement, Tamil Nadu BJP Chief Annamalai attached a letter purportedly written by the wife of the deceased, Om Kumar. He pointed out a noticeable inconsistency in the letter, where it was repeatedly stated—around four times—that the deceased had breathing issues and was undergoing medication. Annamalai found this repetition unusual and questionable.
திருச்செந்தூர் கோவிலில், கூட்டநெரிசலால் உயிரிழந்த, காரைக்குடியைச் சேர்ந்த திரு. ஓம் குமார் அவர்களின் மனைவி எழுதியதாக, அமைச்சர் திரு. சேகர்பாபு கூறிய கடிதத்தைப் படித்துப் பார்த்தேன்.
அந்தக் கடிதத்தின் சில வரிகளை கோடிட்டுக் காட்டியுள்ளேன். இப்படி ஒரு கடிதம் கொடுத்தால் தான்… pic.twitter.com/karh7UbDz2
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) March 18, 2025
In an interview given to the private media channel, the victim of the deceased said, “We went to Tiruchendur to worship. We all came after worshipping in the front row. My uncle came after behind us, suddenly suffocated and died there. The reason for that is the crowd was huge, he fell down and died. They called us and said that, ‘he had fainted and asked us to come’. On the way, when we were going, they called us back and said, ‘He died.’ We don’t know what happened. But the people who came and told us said, ‘It took half an hour to come out of the temple. They said that the ambulance arrived after half an hour. But the police told us that they came and took him away in ten minutes. He had a pulse. He was fine.”
Other relatives intervened and said, “We didn’t get any medical help there.” Then she continued, “They said that four medical college students gave him first aid. We heard that there is no medical facility in Tiruchendur. If there was, our uncle would have been there. No, no, it’s been over half an hour. Do you know what Charities Minister says? He came here already unwell, that’s why he died like that. How can he say that? He was fine. We have a video. We have proof for everything. We have proof for everything. We took a photo. We had my child’s head tonsured and pierced his ear. How could he die who took photos with us there? then it is because of the inadequate facilities, right?”
The victim’s family, in tears, revealed that the letter was written by a relative under police instruction, as they were desperate to receive the deceased’s body for a dignified funeral ritual.
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