Karur: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited Karur on Monday to meet families affected by the tragic stampede at TVK chief Vijay’s rally on Saturday, which claimed 41 lives.

Sitharaman revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally called her and Union Minister of State L. Murugan, urging them to visit the site, meet the bereaved families, and check on the injured.

“Several people, men and women, were injured across their bodies from the stampede. We also met a few families of the deceased. My stomach was churning as I heard their stories. My heart is full of sorrow. I didn’t even know how to respond,” Sitharaman told reporters.

She added, “The Karur incident is shocking. The injured were taken to the hospital. The Prime Minister called me and Dr. Murugan and advised us to meet all the families who lost their loved ones and check on the health of the injured.”

Accompanied by Murugan and the district collector, Sitharaman inspected the rally site and met several families of the victims. “I couldn’t even talk or console the family members. Most of them are from poor families. I could hear their pain,” she said, noting that she conveyed the Prime Minister’s condolences personally.

Sitharaman also stressed the need for stricter standard operating procedures for public gatherings: “No time is a bad time for setting SOPs for public matters, particularly where there will be a huge assembly of people. Probably, we are rather too late. Not just in one state, but across the country, we should have a better way of managing public gatherings.”

She concluded by stating that she would brief Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah about her visit after returning to Delhi, noting that both leaders had already shared their condolences on social media.