Tamil Nadu government is facing criticism after five people died and over 200 were hospitalized during an Indian Air Force (IAF) air show in Chennai on Sunday. The show, held at Marina Beach to celebrate the IAF’s 92nd anniversary, quickly turned chaotic due to overcrowding, traffic jams, and lack of basic amenities in the intense heat.
Opposition leaders blamed the ruling DMK government for poor planning and mismanagement. AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami criticized Chief Minister MK Stalin’s administration, saying that inadequate arrangements led to people being stuck in heavy traffic, with no access to drinking water, resulting in many being hospitalized for heatstroke.
Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai also slammed the government, calling the incident preventable. He stated that if basic facilities and transport arrangements had been in place, the situation would not have escalated. Annamalai accused the DMK government of neglecting public safety, calling it a “complete failure of administration.”
Even Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, an ally of the ruling DMK, joined in the criticism, referring to the incident as a “tragedy on the ground” despite the success of the air show itself. The Opposition is demanding accountability and better management of large public events in the future.
Government’s Defence
Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian defended the state government after facing heavy criticism and calls for his resignation following the tragic incidents at the IAF air show in Chennai. He explained that the government had taken several steps beyond what the IAF requested for the event.
“We set up two medical teams with doctors and nurses, and the Army also provided their own medical teams. There were 40 ambulances on-site, and we had 100 beds and 65 doctors on standby at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for any emergency,” Subramanian stated.
Despite his explanation, AIADMK leader Kovai Sathyan demanded Subramanian’s resignation, blaming the government for complete mismanagement. Sathyan said he saw children collapsing and criticized the lack of a public address system, water distribution booths, and on-site medical assistance.
The IAF (indian air force) air show started at 11 a.m. and lasted until 1 p.m. Many spectators, especially the elderly, fainted from standing in the heat for hours. Over 200 people were taken to nearby hospitals due to dehydration and heat exhaustion.
A police official reported that one person died at the beach and four others in the surrounding area. The chaos worsened when poor traffic management left thousands stranded in gridlock across Chennai, making it difficult for people to leave the area.
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