Hema Malini to head NDA team in Karur, meet families of stampede victims today

The delegation includes BJP leaders Anurag Thakur, Braj Lal, Aprajita Sarangi, Rekha Sharma and others.

A delegation of the ruling NDA will travel to Karur in Tamil Nadu today to review the situation and meet families affected by the tragic stampede during the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally. The eight-member panel is being led by Mathura MP and actor-turned-politician Hema Malini.

At least 41 people lost their lives and over 60 sustained injuries in the horrific incident at actor Vijay’s rally on Saturday evening.

Delegation members and purpose of visit

The NDA delegation, formed by BJP national president JP Nadda, comprises Anurag Thakur, Tejasvi Surya, Braj Lal, Aprajita Sarangi, Rekha Sharma, Shrikant Shinde from Shiv Sena, and Putta Mahesh Kumar from Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

This team will assess the situation in Karur, speak with the bereaved families, and submit a detailed ground report to the party leadership.

Finance Minister Sitharaman met families earlier

On Monday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, accompanied by Union Minister L Murugan and Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagenthran, visited the relatives of those who died in the Karur stampede.

“I can’t describe their sorrow. I am shattered …I am unable to speak or console the bereaved,” Sitharaman told reporters after meeting the grieving families. She also visited the Government Medical College Hospital in Karur to meet those injured.

CM Stalin calls for stricter public event rules

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed deep grief over the tragedy and urged that strong guidelines be framed for public gatherings to prevent such incidents in the future.

“What happened in Karur is a great tragedy; a cruel tragedy! A tragedy that has never happened before; a tragedy that should never happen again. The scenes I witnessed when I personally visited the hospital are still fresh before my eyes. I continue to remain in deep grief and sorrow,” Stalin said in a video message on his X account.

Arrests made in Karur stampede case

Meanwhile, TVK district secretary Mathiazhagan has been arrested in connection with the stampede. He was detained near the Karur-Dindigul border and booked under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 125 (endangering life of others), and 223 (disobedience to order) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, PTI reported.

Two other TVK leaders—state general secretary Bussy Anand and deputy general secretary Nirmal Kumar—have also been named in the FIR related to the case.