AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday said the death of 41 people at actor and TVK founder Vijay’s rally in Karur could have been averted, had the government taken precautionary measures.

Citing The Hindu’s Ground Zero report, ‘In Karur, where there was no way out’, published on Saturday, Mr. Palaniswami urged those “trying to hide the mistakes of the State government, which failed to ensure appropriate security arrangements, to read this article, realise the truth and speak accordingly”.

“The people expect the commission of inquiry to look into the confusion over the security arrangements,” he added.

Citing a first-person account from the report, Mr. Palaniswami said, “Why were more people allowed into the venue when there was a substantial delay that ran into several hours after the permitted time period? It is only fair that such questions are raised against the administration.”

Referring to another account, Mr. Palaniswami said, “Why were the organisers not asked about precautionary measures? It is only natural that there would be panic if there was a power cut. Did the Superintendent of Police call a meeting over the security arrangements for such events? Were requirements such as drinking water discussed? There is no information about that.”

“If there is no plan for any of these, it is only natural to wonder if the ruling party intended for such incidents to happen. Above all, why didn’t the police prevent the gathering of about 25,000 people when the venue could accommodate only about 10,000 people?” he said.

It was clear that the police, who were concerned about facilitating the entry, passage and protection of Mr. Vijay’s vehicle amidst the crowd, did not have the same concern for the general public, he alleged.

Pointing to the statement of Additional Director-General of Police (Law & Order) S. Davidson Devasirvatham that there was one policeman for every 20 individuals at the event, Mr. Palaniswami said, “Probably, it may be the norm because he initially said about 500 personnel were involved in security. But he did not refer to the figures ever again.”

He said the people were referring to photographs and video clips from the venue to contend that police personnel were not present in large numbers. “There are facts shared by the affected people and those present at the site. They can neither be rejected nor hidden,” the former Chief Minister said.