Karthikeyan, a 34-year-old resident of Thiruvotriyur, was among the unfortunate victims who lost their lives after attending the Indian Air Force’s airshow at Marina Beach in Chennai on October 6, 2024. The event, part of the 92nd IAF Day celebrations, was expected to be a joyous occasion, drawing millions to witness the breathtaking aerobatic performances of the IAF's fighter jets. However, what should have been a day of national pride turned into a tragedy due to severe mismanagement and lack of basic facilities.
Karthikeyan, who worked as an admin at a private logistics company, had gone to the event with his wife, Sivaranjani, and their two-year-old son. They were part of the enormous crowd that had gathered, not just for the airshow, but to set a record for the largest public gathering to watch an event, an attempt to enter the Limca Book of Records. However, as the crowd swelled beyond manageable limits, what followed was chaos, heat exhaustion, and an inability to control the masses, which ultimately led to the tragic deaths of at least five people, including Karthikeyan.
According to Sivaranjani, the day began with excitement as they arrived at the beach, eager to witness the air spectacle. But as the show concluded and people began making their way to the exits, the situation spiraled out of control. The lack of adequate exits, combined with the absence of essential amenities like drinking water and shade, left the crowd struggling to navigate through the packed streets. Karthikeyan, concerned for the safety of his family, left them at a bus stop while he went to retrieve his motorbike parked a kilometer away. He never made it back. After two hours of attempting to contact him amidst the non-functioning phone networks, Sivaranjani finally received a call from a stranger informing her that her husband had collapsed.
Sivaranjani rushed to the spot, where she found Karthikeyan lying unresponsive on the ground. They hurried him to the hospital, but tragically, it was too late—Karthikeyan was pronounced dead on arrival. Heartbroken, Sivaranjani was left to grapple with the questions surrounding her husband’s death. To make matters worse, the hospital authorities could not immediately determine the cause of death and released Karthikeyan’s body without proper documentation or consent from his family. Sivaranjani, in her grief, refused to accept the body until a cause of death was confirmed, but the body was still taken away after one of Karthikeyan’s distant relatives signed the release forms. This added further pain and confusion to an already devastating situation, leaving Sivaranjani in disbelief as she chased the ambulance carrying her husband's body.
The airshow, held at Marina Beach, which boasts the second-largest coastline in the world, became a symbol of poor planning and failure to ensure the safety of attendees. Marina Beach has historically handled massive gatherings for events such as political funerals and protests, including the Jallikattu protests, which drew an estimated 10 lakh people over several days. However, the airshow presented challenges that had not been properly addressed by the organizers. The construction of metro train projects had blocked many of the usual exits, trapping the crowd in bottleneck situations. Moreover, the food stalls and eateries that normally line the beach and provide water and refreshments were closed for the event, leaving people without access to even the most basic necessities during the scorching heat of the day.
Although many spectators came prepared with umbrellas and bottles of water, it was not enough to sustain the large crowd for the six-hour duration of the airshow. As the event came to a close, the mass exodus began, and with no clear routes to exit, people began to collapse from exhaustion. The situation was exacerbated by the mismanagement of police resources. Despite the deployment of 7,500 police personnel for crowd control, most officers were focused on ensuring the smooth passage of VIPs, leaving large sections of the crowd unattended. With no officers to guide or control the thronging masses, Marina Road became a gridlocked sea of people. Spectators desperate for relief tried to scale fences into nearby colleges and buildings, hoping to find shade or some space to breathe.
Municipal officials claimed that water was available in service lanes, but this information was of little use to the crowd, which had already pushed onto the main road, further away from any such amenities. As people collapsed due to dehydration and heat exhaustion, family members attempted to fan them or find patches of shade, but the overwhelming crowd made it impossible to assist everyone. Some criticized the organizers for not deploying Armed Reserve personnel from Avadi, which could have helped in controlling the situation.
Karthikeyan’s death, along with those of others who succumbed to the mismanaged event, has raised important questions about accountability and safety. Sivaranjani, now left a widow with a young child, has demanded answers about the events leading to her husband’s death. "Who is responsible for this?" she asked, visibly shattered by the loss. Karthikeyan had merely gone to retrieve his bike, yet the disorganization, lack of communication, and failure to control the crowd led to his untimely death. For her, the day’s tragedy remains a painful, unresolved nightmare, compounded by the indifferent response from authorities.
The airshow, meant to celebrate the might and skill of the Indian Air Force, now stands as a grim reminder of the consequences of poor planning and a lack of foresight in managing large public gatherings. While the IAF’s aerial maneuvers thrilled millions, the aftermath has cast a shadow over the event, leaving the families of those who died to cope with the devastating loss and a lingering sense of injustice.
