JayALalithaa comforts the family member of the victim of StamPede, which occurred at the distribution center of the flood in KK Nagar, Chennai, 18 December 2005. Photo Credit: M. Vedhan
The tragic crowd was crushed, claiming that 41 lives at the actor-political Vijaye Tamilaga vetr kazhagam (TVK) in Karura last weekend is the worst incident at the political assembly at Tamil Nadu. Similar tragedies, however, also occurred on events with a controlled state. Among the most infamous was StamPede from 1992 during the Mahamaham festival in Kumbakonami. This StamPede was widely believed that he was launched during the ritual, attended by the then Chief Minister Jayalalitha (as she spent her name at that time) and her close assistant Sasikala Natarajan (as was known at the time).
Equally grim was the death of 50 people in two stamps that appeared on Sunday, Chennai, 20 years ago, illustrating how they rarely learn lessons in crowd management.
In the winter of 2005, large parts of Chennai were immersed for the first time in decades after heavy night rains and floods. When the city was backing back to normal, the Jayalitha government announced the distribution of relief for the affected.
At about 4.30 am on November 6, 2005, there was a government waiting for the government of Dr. Ambedacar Arts College at the Vyzarpadim North Chennai, a designated relief distribution center, killed in death and several others were injured. “Hundreds of inhabitants who waited with relief tokens collected from rationing shops were trying to rush to the premises to receive the embossed package announced by the government. The distribution was to start at 9 am while the wounded admitted Stanley.
JayALalithaa attributed a rush to “Rumors spreading criminals who said that relief was distributed at 4.30 pm and that people should hurry to get them.”
Second tragedy
The tragedy was repeated on December 19th of that year on a much larger scale. Up to 42 people were trampled to death and 37 seriously injured in the bumper in the flood relief in South Chennai. This incident also occurred in the early hours.
“More than 4,000 people gathered in the center, Arignar Anna in Mgr Nagar, where tokens should be provided to provide ration holders attached to three public distribution systems. The tragedy appeared around 4:00. It appeared that people started in the queue of the previous night, although the token distribution was to take place only on Sunday at 9 am.
It refused to understand how the police did not notice the night patrols that people would stand outside school. Ironically, when a police patrol vehicle came to school at school, they thought at the end of the queue that the staff had arrived and threw itself to the gate. “The gate was forced to open in Melee,” the report said.
Blame
The opposition parties demanded the resignation of the main Minister Jayalitha. Democratic progressive alliance, led by President DMK M. Karuanidhi, accused the government of not taking action for preventive measures despite StamPede in Vyasarpato in the previous month.
Jayalitha, however, was on the defensive. She said, “Given that the state government appears very effectively and directly from the President and Prime Minister, everyone praised her for an effective way we take measures to relief, it looks as if some culprits and miscreants want to bring bad name to the government and dirty his image.
Soon the police arrested Dhanasecaran, local councilor DMK for spreading misinformation that led to the assembly of the Assembly and Stampede. The police said she was investigating a complaint with Munisami’s income inspector and Mr. Dhanasecaran and others were spreading rumors and responsible for the tragedy. “The leading policeman said soon on Sunday, Mr. Dhanasecaran, along with several others, bypassing Mgr Nagar streets, announcing that Sunday was the last day to receive the flood relief and that the distribution would begin to believe that the crowd started before the distribution center. The opposition criticized the police event.
Meanwhile, Jayalithaa established an examination commission headed by Judge A. Raman, a former judge of the Madras High Court to find out the cause of the tragedy. The government also replaced collectors Chennai S. Chandramohan with N. Muruganandam (now the main secretary).
While Mr. Vijay left Karur without meeting the victims that died of his assembly, Jayalitha, despite strong criticism against the government, plunged into the Royapetah government hospital and offered the comfort of the mourning relatives and injured.
Published – 1 October 2025 06:00
