After Karur stampede, Vijay plans volunteer force, new leadership

Chennai, Oct 7 (IANS) In the wake of the devastating stampede at the TVK rally in Tamil Nadu's Karur, which claimed 41 lives and left over 100 injured on September 27, party president and actor Vijay is preparing to overhaul the organisation and tighten event safety.

According to party insiders, Vijay is working on a comprehensive restructuring plan that includes creating a dedicated volunteer force and nurturing a fresh tier of second-line leadership to strengthen the party ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

The Karur tragedy, described by eyewitnesses as a result of “gross mismanagement” and poor crowd control, has deeply shaken the TVK leadership.

The rally venue, which could accommodate just 2,000-3,000 people, saw nearly 30,000 supporters gather, and chaos broke out when Vijay climbed onto his campaign vehicle to greet the crowd.

The stampede exposed glaring lapses in safety protocols and left the party facing both public outrage and legal scrutiny. Learning from the disaster, Vijay is now planning to establish a special volunteer force similar to those maintained by major Dravidian parties like DMK, AIADMK, MDMK, and DMDK.

These trained cadres would handle crowd regulation, security, and emergency response at TVK events across Tamil Nadu, ensuring no repeat of the Karur mishap. Training sessions and workshops for this force are expected to be announced soon.

At the same time, TVK is grappling with a leadership vacuum. Several top office-bearers, including general secretary Bussy Anand and election division management secretary Aadhav Arjun, have stepped back from active roles amid legal challenges following the stampede.

To fill this void, Vijay is personally shortlisting second-rung leaders -- many with prior political experience in other parties -- who will soon be unveiled as the party’s new backbone.

Once announced, these leaders will tour the state, build local organisational strength, guide cadres, and oversee election preparedness.

Party sources say the rollout of this new leadership list will be followed by the official launch of the volunteer force, alongside statewide training programmes. Vijay is determined to restore confidence among supporters and position TVK as a disciplined and battle-ready political outfit while addressing the safety concerns that emerged from the Karur tragedy.

--IANS

aal/dpb