Jayashree has shared the story of her family’s loss countless times since the incident seven months ago, yet tears still fill her eyes when she speaks of her grandson, the youngest victim in the crowd surge at a rally led by Vijay in this area last September.
Dhruv Vishnu was nearly two years old when the disaster occurred. His cheerful image serves as the background on the phones of Jayashree and her son Vimal. In his new store selling water filtration systems, Vimal describes encountering Vijay in Chennai, joined by his wife Matheswari, his mother, and seven relatives. Vimal notes that he and Matheswari, who has impairments in speech and hearing, welcomed Vishnu two years into their marriage. During the Chennai visit, Vijay knelt on the ground beside a distraught Matheswari and respectfully touched her feet as a sign of regret, according to Vimal.
His residence and business are only about 100 meters from the site of the surge. Vimal describes himself as non-partisan but an admirer of Vijay. His older sister Lalli, her spouse, and their adolescent children attended the event, bringing Vishnu with them. Similar to the relatives of 40 other victims, Vimal seeks accountability. He does not hold Vijay responsible. ‘The crowd size was unexpected. Better planning and additional law enforcement could have managed it. Who is at fault? We have suffered a profound loss,’ he states.
Just five kilometers away lies Emur Puthur village, where several households mourned deaths from the surge. K Sakthivel, who lost his wife Priyadarshini and teenage daughter Dharanika, indicates potential support for Vijay in upcoming votes but insists that peace for his family requires punishment for those accountable. ‘Only a higher power understands that day’s events. The facts must emerge. I am still processing it,’ he says.
‘We have lost dear ones. My existence feels isolated now. We demand accountability. Officials should have provided sufficient safety measures. Vijay arrived delayed, leading to even larger gatherings,’ says Sakthivel, employed as a supervisor at a government-operated alcohol outlet called TASMAC. Like others, he met Vijay in Chennai. ‘Vijay expressed remorse, but I emphasized that his group shares responsibility for proper setup. He heard me out attentively,’ Sakthivel adds.
On the topic of voting, Sakthivel comments, ‘Many feel a shift is needed. Anyone benefiting the public should gain acceptance. Those ensuring safety and well-being deserve support.’ While avoiding direct endorsement of Vijay, he mentions transformation, a key theme in the TVK leader’s efforts.
Vimal seems hesitant when questioned about his choice, but his mother promptly states he will back Vijay. ‘He avoids saying it outright, but he will choose Vijay,’ she says. Jayashree, though, voices one concern about Vijay: he ought to have visited the affected households. ‘It would have shown consideration,’ she notes. Vimal counters, ‘Vijay would have come if authorities had guaranteed protection.’
Less than a kilometer from Sakthivel’s home is the residence where Chandra and Arukkani perished in the surge. In his home built recently through the Tamil Nadu government’s Kalaignar Kanavu Illam program, Chandra’s son Satheesh Kumar remains undecided on his vote but avoids solely faulting Vijay for the incident. The local area features a single Vijay poster, while many walls display messages for DMK and AIADMK candidates. Most promotions highlight DMK’s Asi M Thiagarajan as the pick of current Karur representative and influential figure V Senthil Balaji, assigned to challenge the AIADMK-BJP dominance in western Tamil Nadu while running in distant Coimbatore (South). Thiagarajan faces AIADMK’s M R Vijayabhaskar, a past official, and TVK’s V P Mathiyalagan.
Like Kumar, Arukkani’s spouse Kaliappan attributes the surge to inadequate safety protocols. Neither he nor his wife admired Vijay. ‘She attended for enjoyment. I advised against it, but fate intervenes,’ Kaliappan says. He skipped the Chennai meeting with Vijay, though his son, a tailor in Pudukkottai, attended. Kaliappan has not yet chosen a candidate. ‘Elections are approaching; I will decide nearer the time,’ he states.
