At least forty-one people died at a political rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu, on 27 September. Seventeen were women. Ten were children. Over eighty others were injured. What should have been a celebration of democratic participation became a massacre born of poor planning and blind devotion.

The victims were not statistics. They were parents who saved bus fare to see their hero. Children dreaming of change while perched on shoulders. Elderly supporters who believed actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam could offer something different from the ruling DMK. They gathered in Velusamypuram on the Karur-Erode highway under scorching sun, waiting hours without adequate water or shade.

When Vijay’s convoy arrived late, the crowd surged forward. Devotion became deadly. People pushed, fell, trampled others in a blind rush to glimpse their political saviour. Bodies piled up in a drainage ditch. Survivors spoke of tasting blood and dust before realising they were caught in a stampede. One moment they were cheering. The next, they were dying.

Vijay had to stop his address and beg supporters to make way for ambulances—a heartbreaking moment that revealed how quickly celebration turns into catastrophe. Chief Minister MK Stalin rushed to the scene past midnight, offering compensation and ordering investigations. Vijay expressed unbearable, inexplicable pain. But compensation cannot restore a life, and investigations cannot answer a mother’s question about why her child died for believing in democracy.

This tragedy exposes the dangerous machinery of celebrity politics in Tamil Nadu, where cinema stars transition seamlessly into governance roles and supporters are not voters but devotees. Vijay, known as Thalapathy to millions, carries the weight of a fandom forged through blockbuster films and underdog narratives. His followers will brave any hardship for a wave or word from their idol. Social media amplifies this devotion, creating echo chambers where criticism is dismissed and leaders are elevated beyond human fallibility. The result is a herd mentality that prioritises proximity to the idol over personal safety, life itself.

The warning signs were everywhere. Inadequate police presence despite permissions being........

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