The first case was shifted to hospital from the meeting venue at 9.45 pm was in a private ambulance which was stationed close by
Chennai: Dispelling the doubts raised in social media over the mishandling of the situation at the campaign rally of the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) at Karur on Saturday, Additional Chief Secretary for Revenue and Disaster Management, P Amutha denied that electricity supply was cut at the meeting venue and said that many false news were being spread on the tragedy.
Addressing a media conference, along with Home Secretary Dheeraj Kumar, Health Secretary P Senthil Kumar, Director General of Police G Venkatraman and Additional Director General of Police Davidson Devasirvatham, at the Secretariat on Tuesday, Amutha explained how the venue at Karur, Velusamy Puram, was chosen and added that it was place that had a broad road.
Since another meeting was earlier held at the spot in Velusamy Puram it was estimated that it could hold 10,000 to 15,000 people, she said. To a question if the police failed to anticipate the size of the crowd, she said that the organisers, TVK leaders, had estimated a crowd of 10,000 but police expected a gathering of 20,000 based on the reports of earlier meetings.
However, as the meeting started the crowds that were waiting there were displaced by the huge campaign vehicle of the leader, creating a rush, and then apart from the waiting people, 25,000 extra people came along with the leader, following his vehicle and causing the congestion, she said.
To a question on police lathi charging the surging crowd causing the stampede, Amutha said police had used force to facilitate the movement of the vehicle through the waiting crowd. She said that the crowd had been waiting since morning without water and food and many people had squatted on the ground due to exhaustion.
When asked why ambulances had entered the place when the campaign was going on, the health secretary explained that the first call for an ambulance was received at 7.14 pm and the vehicle went there at 7.20 pm and the next call was at 7.15 pm and in response the vehicle went there at 7.23 pm. He explained that six ambulances were used under the ‘108 service.’
Amutha said that TVK members had organized 7 ambulances, two of which were following the bus of party president Vijay, and the government ambulances came in later. The first case was shifted to hospital from the meeting venue at 9.45 pm was in a private ambulance which was stationed close by, she clarified.
