Karur Rally Stampede: Letter Shows TVK Requested Brief Power Cut, Government Denies Outage.
A letter has surfaced showing that Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay’s party requested a temporary power shutdown during Saturday’s rally in Karur, citing public safety. The event tragically saw a stampede claiming 41 lives and injuring over 60, including women and children.
Officials from the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (EB) confirmed receiving the request from TVK for a temporary power interruption at Veluchamipuram on Erode Road after midnight on September 27, 2025. Rajalakshmi, Chief Engineer and District West Secretary, said the request was denied. The letter asked that electricity be turned off only during Vijay’s speech to ensure crowd safety.
TVK sources alleged a conspiracy, claiming, “The incident had been engineered by the police and local politicians with connections to local goondas.”
Eyewitness Account
Eyewitnesses told India Today there was a power cut from 7 to 7:30 pm. Vinod Kumar, brother-in-law of one victim, said his sister-in-law and two children died due to suffocation as the crowd surged ahead of Vijay’s arrival.
Government Response
The Tamil Nadu government denied any power outage at the venue. The Fact Check Unit clarified on X that while TVK requested a power shutdown, no cut occurred. The brief dimming of lights was attributed to a generator issue in the party’s arrangements, not a deliberate power outage. Both the district collector and ADGP issued similar statements.
Comments are closed.