"Something is wrong in our country with crowd management": Congress' Shashi Tharoor on Karur stampede

Tharoor said it is heartbreaking to see such tragedies happen repeatedly and urged both the central and state governments to create strict rules and safety protocols for large gatherings to prevent future incidents.

Speaking to the reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor said, "... Its 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... 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..."

"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," Tharoor added.

The tragedy has left 39 people dead at a rally addressed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the families of the 39 people who died in the Karur stampede would receive two lakh rupees each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

PM Modi also announced an amount of Rs 50,000 each for the people injured in the tragic incident.

Sharing an X post, PMO said, "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)