The Indian famous person on the centre of crush deaths row

[ad_1] Sharanya Hrishikesh and Neyaz Farooquee BBC Information, Delhi

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/17b4/live/e47aabc0-9d04-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/17b4/live/e47aabc0-9d04-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/17b4/live/e47aabc0-9d04-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/17b4/live/e47aabc0-9d04-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/17b4/live/e47aabc0-9d04-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/17b4/live/e47aabc0-9d04-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/17b4/live/e47aabc0-9d04-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/17b4/live/e47aabc0-9d04-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="TVK/X Vijay, one of the most bankable stars in Tamil cinema, launched his political party last year" class="sc-5340b511-0 bGQwLJ"/> TVK/X Vijay, one of the vital bankable stars in Tamil cinema, launched his political occasion final yr

An Indian superstar-turned-politician is on the centre of a large row after 40 individuals died in a crush at his occasion's rally on Saturday.

Tens of hundreds of individuals turned up on the marketing campaign occasion held by Vijay in Karur district in Tamil Nadu state. The actor was in the midst of his speech when the gang surged instantly.

The tragedy has sparked a blame sport, with the opposition accusing authorities officers of not deploying sufficient police personnel to manage crowds.

Police officers have stated that the rally's organisers, who're from Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) occasion, underestimated the anticipated crowd measurement and didn't take sufficient precautions.

Who's Vijay?

With an appearing profession spanning many years, 51-year-old Vijay is likely one of the hottest actors in Tamil Nadu.

Over time, he has labored his manner as much as changing into one of the vital bankable stars, with even movies panned by critics changing into large box-office hits.

Born Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar to a movie director father and singer mom, he acted in a number of movies as a baby.

Vijay first performed the hero in 1992's Naalaiya Theerpu, directed by his father. The movie, a couple of group of school college students taking over a corrupt businessman, was a flop however because the information web site Scroll put it, it sowed the "seeds of Vijay's rigorously crafted display persona as the person with the answer to Tamil Nadu's issues".

He then appeared in a number of romances and comedies - a lot of them box-office hits - and have become a well-known face for audiences. His clean dance strikes specifically gained him many followers.

Over time, he starred in lots of superhit motion thrillers, together with Ghilli (2004), Pokkiri (2007), Thuppakki (2012) and Kaththi (2014) the place he displayed simple chemistry along with his heroines and funky motion mannerisms.

His followers referred to as him Ilaya Thalapathy, or Younger Commander - most big Tamil stars have fan-approved monikers like these.

At any time when a brand new Vijay movie would launch, followers would end up at cinema halls in droves to have a good time and assist him.

Over the previous few years, even movies which acquired dangerous important opinions, equivalent to Beast (2022) and The Biggest of All Time (2024), have develop into box-office hits.

After the success of Beast, the Indian Specific wrote that Vijay's "stardom has reached a degree, the place even his most unimaginative, unoriginal and unamusing film might usher in world field workplace receipts of upwards of 2bn rupees ($22.5m; £16.7m)".

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/2a30/live/afe5a190-9d03-11f0-9297-a5fd92668561.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/2a30/live/afe5a190-9d03-11f0-9297-a5fd92668561.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2a30/live/afe5a190-9d03-11f0-9297-a5fd92668561.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/2a30/live/afe5a190-9d03-11f0-9297-a5fd92668561.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/2a30/live/afe5a190-9d03-11f0-9297-a5fd92668561.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/2a30/live/afe5a190-9d03-11f0-9297-a5fd92668561.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/2a30/live/afe5a190-9d03-11f0-9297-a5fd92668561.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2a30/live/afe5a190-9d03-11f0-9297-a5fd92668561.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Ragul Krishan/EPA/Shutterstock A colourful portrait of actor-politician seen at a road intersection near the site of the crush that killed at least 40 people in southern India.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by RAGUL KRISHNAN/EPA/Shutterstock (15507891x) The scene of a deadly stampede accident in Karur, Tamil Nadu, India, 28 September 2025. At least 39 people died in a stampede that occurred on 27 September during a campaign event by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party leader Vijay, the health minister of Tamil Nadu said. Dozens killed in stampede at political rally in India, Karur - 28 Sep 2025" class="sc-5340b511-0 bGQwLJ"/> Ragul Krishan/EPA/Shutterstock A portrait of actor Vijay close to the location of the crush

Why did he be a part of politics?

There had been hypothesis round Vijay's political entry for years - a fan membership he launched gave a creditable efficiency within the 2021 native elections. He had additionally made a number of statements through the years that had been interpreted as having political undertones.

However his resolution to stop appearing to enter full-time politics nonetheless took followers without warning. He has stated that Jana Nayagan, set to launch early subsequent yr, will probably be his final movie.

It is common for movie stars in India's southern states to hitch politics, as they financial institution on their reputation and mass enchantment to translate into electoral dividends.

The most important instance in Tamil Nadu is MG Ramachandran, popularly generally known as MGR, who joined the state's ruling occasion Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1962 on the peak of his stardom.

In 1972, he had a fallout with the DMK and based his personal occasion, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), and went on to function the chief minister from 1977 till his loss of life in 1987.

The late J Jayalalithaa - one among MGR's most profitable co-stars - adopted in his footsteps - becoming a member of and ultimately main the AIADMK after his loss of life.

She served because the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for six phrases.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/1e17/live/49ac7950-9d06-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/1e17/live/49ac7950-9d06-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/1e17/live/49ac7950-9d06-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/1e17/live/49ac7950-9d06-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/1e17/live/49ac7950-9d06-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/1e17/live/49ac7950-9d06-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/1e17/live/49ac7950-9d06-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/1e17/live/49ac7950-9d06-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Getty Images Tamil Nadu Chief minister J Jayalalithaa at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Council Meeting on July 5, 2011 in Chennai, India." class="sc-5340b511-0 bGQwLJ"/> Getty Pictures J Jayalalithaa was a preferred Tamil actor earlier than she joined politics

Not all political plunges by movie stars have translated into electoral success.

Kamal Haasan, a legendary Tamil actor who has performed greater than 200 movies throughout Indian movie industries, launched his occasion Makkal Needhi Maiam in 2018, declaring his intent to problem the dominance of the DMK and AIADMK within the state. However his occasion is but to win a parliamentary or meeting seat.

Rajinikanth, one among Tamil cinema's greatest icons, lengthy flirted with the concept of becoming a member of politics earlier than lastly asserting in 2020 that he would not achieve this.

Critics argue that regardless of their large reputation, celebrity-led events usually lack grassroots expertise, limiting their success.

Since Vijay launched his occasion final yr, his rallies have drawn large crowds, with tens of hundreds of individuals jostling to catch a glimpse of the star and get a selfie with him.

However his rivals have questioned his lack of political expertise and criticised a few of his statements as obscure.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/91c0/live/eaee79e0-9d05-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/91c0/live/eaee79e0-9d05-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/91c0/live/eaee79e0-9d05-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/91c0/live/eaee79e0-9d05-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/91c0/live/eaee79e0-9d05-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/91c0/live/eaee79e0-9d05-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/91c0/live/eaee79e0-9d05-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/91c0/live/eaee79e0-9d05-11f0-a8fe-677b0b0b2d56.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Reuters Relatives of the victims mourn in front of Karur Government Medical College hospital, following a stampede incident at an election campaign rally held by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party, in Karur district of Tamil Nadu, India, September 28, 2025." class="sc-5340b511-0 bGQwLJ"/> Reuters Kinfolk of the victims mourn outdoors a hospital in Karur on Sunday

What's going to occur now?

Crushes at political rallies are frequent in India, usually resulting in blame video games between the organisers and authorities.

In Vijay's case, his followers allege that his occasion was denied permission to carry the occasion at a safer venue.

State officers deny this and declare the venue was permitted by the occasion, BBC Tamil experiences.

There have been some calls to even arrest Vijay, however given his immense reputation, the DMK-led Tamil Nadu authorities is treading cautiously.

A one-member fee of enquiry has been set as much as examine the reason for the crush. The state's Chief Minister MK Stalin has promised motion on the fee's report inside two months.

In the meantime, TVK has approached the Madras Excessive Courtroom, looking for a federal investigation into the incident. The court docket is scheduled to listen to the case on Monday.

Vijay has additionally been criticised for not visiting the victims of the crush but - he has stated in a press release that he's "shattered" by the tragedy and has introduced monetary compensation for these affected.