NEW DELHI: A second death was reported in connection with actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Salem on Saturday. A man allegedly died after consuming poison near the gathering venue. A 50-year-old man identified as Murugan died at Vijay’s rally. The deceased was a porter from Mettur whose body was discovered directly in front of the meeting area.According to police, Murugan had travelled to Salem and reportedly consumed a lethal mixture of poison and alcohol, news agency ANI reported.Investigators recovered a letter left by Murugan citing ongoing family issues as the motive.While the act appears personal in nature, its proximity to the high-profile political event has drawn significant attention. A case has been registered, and his family has arrived at Salem Government Hospital to claim his body following a postmortem.Murugan’s death is the second fatality linked to the Salem event.Earlier, a 37-year-old man named Suraj, who was identified as a silver-industry labourer originally from Maharashtra, collapsed while attending the meeting as a spectator.Despite being rushed to a nearby private hospital, he was declared dead from an apparent heart attack. Suraj is survived by his wife and a young child.These back-to-back incidents have reignited concerns over safety and crowd management at TVK events, following a devastating stampede in Karur months ago that claimed nearly 40 lives.The atmosphere turned volatile following Suraj’s collapse. As journalists attempted to cover the medical emergency, a violent scuffle broke out between members of the press and TVK cadres.Journalists on the scene alleged that party workers physically attacked them to prevent documentation of the incident, leading to a tense standoff despite the heavy police deployment stationed at the venue.
