Two dead, 35 injured in stampede

chennai — Police on Wednesday used batons to drive back tens of thousands of mourners thronging the funeral of a revered regional politician, triggering a stampede that reportedly left two devotees dead.

Grieving supporters of Muthuvel Karunanidhi poured into the southeastern city of Chennai to pay last respects to the man who died Tuesday aged 94.

A sea of mourners swelled in the streets as the coffin was taken to its resting place in the Tamil Nadu state capital. But there was a stampede as police pushed back against mourners as they strove for a final glimpse of Karunanidhi. Two people, including a 60-year-old-woman, lost their lives in the stampede. At least 35 people were injured in the melee, news outlets reported.

Karunanidhi, a charismatic selfstyled champion of the poor, reshaped regional politics through his opposition to high-caste hegemony and was idolised by legions of his supporters. He earned the loyalty of many rural voters with a series of populist schemes and fiery speeches in support of the socalled backward castes.

A school dropout, Karunanidhi became involved in politics at a young age, spearheading the DMK party through 12 state elections, all of which he contested and won.

Affectionately called “Kalaignar” or scholar, he wrote reams of poems, lyrics and books and was a prolific screenwriter for the Tamil film industry. —