Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday expressed deep sorrow over the Karur stampede in Tamil Nadu, which claimed 39 lives, and said the recurring nature of such tragedies exposes serious flaws in India’s crowd management systems. Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor weighed in on the disturbing pattern that repeats every year, whether at political rallies, religious congregations, or public events. He stressed that beyond mourning each tragedy, India needs a systematic national policy to regulate and safeguard large gatherings.

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…”

The Congress leader urged both the Centre and the states to work together on strict, uniform procedures for crowd control, warning that without urgent reforms, India will continue to “needlessly suffer the grief and anguish” of losing lives in preventable stampedes.

“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.

Karur stampede: Overcrowding at TVK chief Vijay‘s rally leaves 39 dead

The tragedy left 39 people dead at a rally addressed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday. TVK has alleged that the tragedy was not accidental but a result of “conspiracy” and moved the Madras HC. However, Director General of Police G Venkataraman said the crowd swelled well beyond expectations due to the delayed arrival of the actor-politician.

Meanwhile, 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.

(With agency inputs)