Stampede-Like Situation at AR Rahman Show in Chennai, Police Launch Investigation
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 11: The Tamil Nadu police have launched an investigation into the “stampede-like” situation at the music concert of the noted music composer AR Rahman in Chennai which the spectators said would be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Tambaram Police Commissioner Dr Amalraj said they would investigate the reasons for traffic congestion, arrangements for parking, medical requirements and overall arrangements. With over 45,000 people descending on Chennai’s Adityaram Palace City on Sunday evening, scenes outside the concert venue showed long queues, traffic snarls and mismanagement of ticket holders.
While many fans who held valid tickets left the venue seething with rage, some got into arguments with policemen and organisers (ACTC Events) on the lack of proper arrangements. The concert titled ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’ turned out to be a ”traumatic” experience for several fans who complained of overcrowding and a stampede-like situation and slammed the organisers for their horrible mismanagement.
Many people took to social media to share videos of their ”bizarre” and ”harrowing” experiences, complaining about how they were not allowed to enter the venue, despite having valid tickets. Reacting to the posts, the composer offered help to those who could not attend the concert. “Let me be the sacrificial goat this time for all of us to wake up,” Rahman said on social media.
Fans claimed that there was a stampede-like situation, resulting in women being harassed and children being separated and injured. Thousands of fans alleged that organisers oversold tickets, and expressed their disappointment on X demanding answers from ACTC Events.
One woman who left the venue without attending, alleged on a local television channel, “It’s overcrowded, a stampede-like situation. No regulation at all”. Another woman added, “We had paid five thousand for a ticket. But it was free for all, anybody could sit anywhere. They are answerable “. A family alleged saying, “There is no parking space as they had claimed. We parked our cars and walked 2 KM.”
A fan on X wrote, ”The most bizarre experience ever! It was the worst ever concert that I have attended. VIP zone tickets were priced at 25000 and 50000 and there was no security, every zone was one. The organisers over-sold the tickets. The seats were all off-centre. Even in the VIP area, there was no stage view. No bouncers to man the areas!!! The entry demarcations were missing! everyone was entering from everywhere. It was like a stampede and no one to manage! What a disgrace.”
“It was a tsunami of people and love that we were unable to handle,” Rahman said. “As a composer, my job was to give a terrific show, and I thought everything else would be taken care of. I was just thinking that it shouldn’t rain, and was happily performing inside, without any idea of what was happening outside. Our intentions were good, but I think the response was beyond our expectations. We are collecting the data now, and we will surprise fans with something soon.”
“Right now, we are just terribly disturbed. Safety was the primary issue, especially because there were women and kids. I don’t want to point fingers at anyone, but we have to realise that the city is expanding, and the passion to consume music and art is also expanding.”
The concert was earlier rescheduled from August to Sunday owing to unfavourable weather conditions. Rahman had said the decision was taken with the guidance of authorities and to ensure the safety and well-being of his fans.
Despite ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’ being one of India’s highest selling shows till date, the overselling of tickets and bad crowd management were among the many reasons fans were upset. Rahman explains, “The organisers [ACTC events] had put together about 46,000 chairs in the venue. In some sections, everybody sat on one side and didn’t move to the other side. Seeing this, the policemen on duty assumed that the venue was full and closed it. By this time, the show had already started inside.”
Even as the composer and music team dished out his popular songs, packed with dance sequences and visuals, many fans outside were left unattended to. “This was like a cyclone we did not plan for. ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’ is India’s highest-sold show till date, which is great, but it is more important how we treat people than the actual concert itself. And that, I had little control over,” he said.
“This is a lesson for me. It pushes me to go beyond being a musician, and get involved in infrastructure as well. I’ve been to many arts collective in the world, and when I see those, I think: why deny this experience to our own people right here in Chennai? They deserve that, and more. What it takes is what we discovered during this concert,” Rahman said. “We will face this and fix it, because every soul is important to me. I now have to think beyond just the musical aspects of a concert. We will, hopefully, not let this happen ever again.”
