Opposition outcry over tragic air show deaths: calls for government accountability and investigations |

Chennai: opposition partiesincluding AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, BJP leader and TVK president and actor Vijay, on Monday sharply criticized the state government for “poor arrangements” at the Sunday air show in which five people died due to heat-related ailments.
Meanwhile, allies like VCK and CPM expressed their displeasure and demanded one probe.
Speaking to reporters in Salem, Palaniswami criticized Prime Minister MK Stalin for “not implementing necessary security and precautionary measures at the air show”.
Palaniswami accused Stalin of inviting a large crowd to the event, stating that many people suffered due to lack of basic amenities and some tragically lost their lives.
“Stalin must bear full responsibility for the deaths,” Palaniswami said.
DMK ally VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan and CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan demanded a high-level probe into the deaths of five people. TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai told reporters that the deaths could not be justified. His party would provide Rs 1 lakh assistance to each of the bereaved families.
DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi had some advice. She told X: “Unmanageable crowds and gatherings of people should be avoided in the future.”
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs L. Murugan told reporters in Tirunelveli that several meetings were held between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Tamil Nadu government in connection with the air show. Despite this, no precautionary measures were taken. “The state government should have known that there would be a large crowd and appropriate arrangements should have been made,” Murugan said.
TVK chief Vijay, while regretting the deaths, said the state government should ensure that all precautionary measures are taken for such events where a large number of people would gather in the future. Former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan questioned the arrangements made for the show.
BJP treasurer SR Sekhar claimed that water was provided only for VIPs and not for the public. BJP spokesperson ANS Prasad criticized the state government, saying it could not match the IAF’s air quality due to its administrative lapses.
PMK president Anbumani Ramdoss said the state government should take “full responsibility” for the deaths. NTK leader Seeman condemned the DMK government saying, “The death of five persons is a murder committed by the state government.”
AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran said the state government’s negligence led to the deaths.
Former AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam and TMC president GK Vasan said adequate precautionary measures were not taken.