At least 36 people were killed and more than 50 were injured on Saturday in a stampede at a rally held by Tamil actor Vijay, who is campaigning for election, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu said.

Chief Minister MK Stalin said eight children and 16 women were among the 36 who died in the district of Karur in Tamil Nadu during a political rally by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, Vijay’s party. Earlier, state lawmaker Senthil Balaji told reporters that 58 people were hospitalised.

Vijay has drawn massive crowds

Vijay, one of Tamil cinema’s most bankable actors for three decades, has drawn massive crowds to his public meetings since launching his political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, in 2024, which has targeted both the state ruling party DMK and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

He is campaigning ahead of state elections that are to be held in early 2026. Videos from local media show thousands of people surrounding a large campaign vehicle on top of which Vijay is seen standing and speaking.

During the rally, visuals showed Vijay throwing water bottles from the top of the vehicle to fainting supporters and calling for police help when the crowd became uncontrollable.

“The unfortunate incident during a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu, is deeply saddening,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X. At least 44 doctors from the nearby districts of Tiruchirappalli and Salem were sent to Karur, media reports said.

This is not the first time Vijay’s rallies have faced safety concerns. At least six deaths were reported by the media following the first meeting of his political party when it was launched in October last year.

Despite police-imposed restrictions, including limits on convoy size and venue changes, the sheer scale of public turnout has repeatedly overwhelmed local infrastructure.

Earlier this year, at least six people were crushed to death at a popular Hindu temple in northern India’s Uttarakhand state, officials said, after a massive crowd surge.

The stampede occurred on the stairway leading to the Mansa Devi temple in the Hindu holy city of Haridwar, on the banks of the Ganges River, and left many injured.

“Six dead and more than 10 injured are admitted to the hospital,” senior city police official Parmendra Dobhal told AFP.