On September 27, Karur witnessed a tragic incident when thousands of fans and party workers gathered to see actor-turned-politician Vijay. What was meant to be a political rally ended in chaos, claiming 41 lives, including women and children. The tragedy has sparked a political blame game between the DMK government and the TVK, but the real question remains—who takes responsibility for the crowd mismanagement that led to this deadly stampede? Preventing such disasters requires more than guidelines; it demands accountability and strict enforcement. In this week’s In Public Interest, I speak to former IPS officer Kulwant Kumar Sarangal, ex-commissioner of Nashik and an expert in crowd management, to understand where accountability lies and how such tragedies can be avoided in the future.