New Delhi, April 21 -- Tiruvannamalai/Karur/Pudukkotai/Chennai :

Velmurugan J., a hospitality sector executive from Kulithalai town near Karur, considers himself lucky. He decided to attend actor Joseph Vijay's political rally in Karur on 27 September last year, urged on by his colleague who was a die-hard fan of the star.

By noon, they reached Velusamypuram, the venue of the meeting on the Karur-Erode highway, and took a vantage position near a generator shed. The crowd was swelling and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader's arrival was delayed. His friend turned down Velmurugan's suggestion that they leave.

"Vijay's bus was supposed to stop near where we stood but people were standing in every inch of the space. I was not comfor...