Air show fiasco: Arrangements exceeded IAF’s request, says Tamil Nadu government

Chennai: Unfazed Tamil Nadu government on Monday asserted that the five deaths reported on Sunday after the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) air show on the Marina Beach were due to “heat-related health issues” and dismissed criticism of “poor arrangements” to handle an unprecedented crowd of 15 lakh people.

Home Secretary Dheeraj Kumar sought a detailed report on the incident from Direct General of Police Shankar Jiwal, as the government came under attack not just from Opposition parties like the AIADMK and BJP but also from its ally, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Congress whose leaders blamed the DMK dispensation for “poor planning.”

Chief Minister M K Stalin announced a solatium of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the victims and acknowledged the “sufferings of the people” in accessing public transport and their own vehicles after the event as the number of spectators exceeded the expectations of the organisers.

However, Health Minister Ma Subramanian and Chennai Mayor said about 15 lakh people attended the air show as expected and that arrangements were put in place to handle the crowd.

“It was estimated that 15 lakh people would attend, and we had made arrangements in line with that. The IAF had advised people to bring umbrellas, wear caps and cooling glasses and also bring water bottles with them,” he said.

Subramanian, who addressed a press conference, said all the five people who lost their lives on Sunday were “brought dead” to government hospitals and didn’t die due to lack of treatment.

“We are not trying to hide the casualties. We acknowledge that five people died due to heat-related issues. We express regret over their deaths and they are unfortunate. But these deaths shouldn’t be politicised,” he said.

Southern Railway also came under attack for not “deploying adequate number” of trains to take people from different parts of the city to stations surrounding the venue of the air show.

Chennai Metro registered an unprecedented ridership of 4 lakh on Sunday with many availing the new-age transport system to get back from the air show.

As many as 105 people were rushed to three government hospitals located within five kms of the Marina Beach on Sunday of which five were “brought dead.” While seven people are receiving treatment, the remaining 93 were discharged from hospitals, Subramanian added.

Responding to complaints that the arrangements made by the state government were inadequate, the minister said there was no stampede at the venue and pinned the blame for the chaos on the spectators, saying that they left home at the same time immediately after the show came to an end.

He also refuted reports that the medical camps didn’t function near the venue and dismissed accusations that adequate water facilities were not provided to spectators.

Chennai Mayor Priya Rajan claimed the civic body did take steps to ensure that the air show was event-free by removing shops on the Marina Beach.

“We did everything that was asked of us by the IAF. The deaths were due to the unbearable heat,” she said, even as the Health Minister maintained that over 10,000 security personnel were deployed to ensure that the event went smooth.

Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami accused the DMK government of having been “ill-prepared” to handle a crowd of 15 lakh and demanded adequate compensation for the families of the dead. BJP TN chief K Annamalai said the DMK dispensation cannot escape responsibility by branding the deaths as an “accident.”

DMK’s woman face and Parliamentary Party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said “unmanageable gatherings” should be avoided in the future, while her party spokespersons put up a strong defence of the arrangements put in place by the government.

While VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan demanded a high-level inquiry into the episode, the party’s deputy general secretary Aadhav Arjuna blamed the government’s “lack of sufficient attention” to arrangements that claimed the lives of five people.

“Senior government officials were only interested in witnessing the air show, and not in making arrangements. It is clear that the government didn’t depute enough ministers and officials to make arrangements for the event,” Arjuna said.

Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram said, “spectacle in the Sky. Tragedy on Ground,” about the chaos, even as his colleague and Tamil Nadu Congress general secretary Lakshmi Ramachandran said holding such a show during October heat was a bad idea.

“Police were completely ill prepared for any kind of crowd management. We should protect ourselves from such mass events as our administration lacks the thought and resources that are required to manage such events,” she wrote on her X page.