Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday expressed profound sorrow over the Karur stampede in Tamil Nadu, which left 39 people dead, calling it a tragic reminder of India's persistent shortcomings in crowd management at public events.

Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor said the tragedy was “very painful” and that such incidents appear to occur with alarming frequency. He urged both the central and state governments to urgently implement national-level safety protocols for managing large gatherings, irrespective of the nature of the event.

“It’s a very tragic and painful situation. Something is wrong in our country with crowd management. Every year, there seems to be an incident. We remember Bengaluru. It is very heartbreaking when we hear children being killed in these stampedes,” Tharoor said.

“For me, the argument is about what can we do as a systematic policy nationally to protect ordinary people. People go in a spirit to listen to a politician who happens to be a movie star, or to see cricketers, who are also stars for us. The basic thing should be that there should be certain rules, standards, and protocols in place.”

Tharoor added that it was time for a coordinated national approach to avoid the “grief and anguish” caused by such tragedies.

“At the same time, I earnestly appeal to the central government and all state governments to agree on a set of very strict procedures governing all large crowds in any circumstances so that we do not needlessly suffer the grief and anguish of loved ones being lost in these terrible stampedes.”

The stampede occurred on Saturday at a political rally in Karur, where Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay was addressing thousands of supporters. Many attendees, including women and children, had travelled long distances and waited under the sun for hours before the chaos broke out. Poor crowd control and inadequate planning have been widely blamed for the disaster.

In the wake of the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia compensation for the victims. Families of the deceased will receive ₹2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), while those injured will receive ₹50,000.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed the announcement in a post on X (formerly Twitter):

“PM Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF to be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the unfortunate incident at a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.”

ANI