Karur Tragedy: Call for Probe Amid Rising Stampede Toll

The death toll from the recent stampede in Karur has risen to 40, with a man succumbing to injuries at a government hospital, according to health officials.

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhaga party, led by actor-politician Vijay, has approached the Madras High Court Bench in Madurai, demanding an independent investigation into the tragedy. Party deputy general secretary Nirmal Kumar hinted at a possible conspiracy, stating that the court agreed to hear the case.

In his statement, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary P Senthil Kumar provided detailed casualty figures, revealing that among the 39 deceased, there were 17 women, 13 men, and 9 children. The government has performed postmortems on 30 of the deceased, with the bodies returned to their families. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation for victims' families, offering Rs 2 lakh for the deceased's next of kin and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

(With inputs from agencies.)