October 1, 2025

Chennai, 2005 — Imagine the chaos at flood relief centres where thousands waited for help after heavy rains submerged the city! The tragedy unfolded twice in the early hours, leaving many dead and injured. On November 6, six women tragically lost their lives in a stampede at the Government Dr. Ambedkar Arts College in Vyasarpadi. Hundreds gathered too early, rushing the gates which opened suddenly. The Hindu reported that some said police opened the gate, others said the crowd forced it open. Jayalalithaa, then Chief Minister, blamed “rumours spread by mischief-makers” who had falsely claimed relief distribution started at 4:30 a.m. Just over a month later, on December 19, a bigger disaster struck at Arignar Anna School in MGR Nagar. Around 4 a.m., a massive crowd of more than 4,000 people pushed and surged to get flood relief tokens. The result? 42 were trampled to death and 37 suffered serious injuries. People had been queuing overnight, though distribution was scheduled for 9 a.m. Police patrols sadly missed the nighttime gathering. When a patrol vehicle arrived early morning, people thought the tokens were being given out and charged the gate, forcing it open. Political heat blazed as the Opposition demanded Jayalalithaa’s resignation, accusing her government of failure despite the earlier tragedy. She stood firm, saying, “Since the State government has been performing very efficiently and right from the President and the Prime Minister everyone has complimented it for the efficient manner in which we implement the relief measures, it looks as though some culprits and miscreants, who want to bring a bad name to the government and tarnish its image, have been deliberately spreading such rumours.” The police arrested DMK councillor Dhanasekaran for allegedly spreading false news that caused panic and the deadly crush. Reports said he told people the last day to receive relief was Sunday morning and that tokens would start at 5 a.m. But the Opposition slammed this police action. To investigate, Jayalalithaa formed a Commission led by Justice A. Raman, a former High Court judge. The government also replaced Chennai Collector S. Chandramohan with N. Muruganandam. While actor-politician Vijay left the Karur rally without meeting victims after a deadly stampede there, Jayalalithaa personally visited Royapettah Government Hospital to console victims’ families and the injured, showing her human side amid criticism. These tragic stampedes expose a bitter truth: despite warning signs, crowd management at public events remains a tough challenge, and politics only adds more spice to the drama.

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Tags: Stampede, Jayalalithaa, Flood relief, Chennai, Crowd management, Tamil nadu,