TN stampede: All-party meet held to formulate guidelines for public meetings

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday held a meeting of political parties to formulate guidelines on holding public meetings in the wake of the September 27 stampede in Karur that claimed 41 lives and left over 60 injured.

The consultative meeting was held following the Madras High Court directive asking the state government to frame the draft standard operating procedure (SOP) for regulating road shows and public meetings of political parties aimed at preventing the Karur stampede-like situation.

The disastrous incident occurred during the meeting of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party addressed by its founder actor-politician Vijay.

“We held a detailed consultation on various aspects, including avoiding stampede during meetings and preventing damage to public property,” State Municipal Administration Minister K N Nehru said in a post on ‘X.’

According to a source, among the suggestions was to collect a deposit amount from the political parties depending on the size of the turnout, and the maximum sum could be Rs 20 lakh. This amount could be used to compensate for damages incurred during the meetings, if any.

Also, the onus on the safety of the people who attend the public meetings should be fixed on the political parties that conduct the rallies.

The recommendations of various political parties would be submitted as draft guidelines to the court, it was said.