New Delhi: The second death of actor-turned-politician Vijay was reported during a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Salem on Saturday. A man died after allegedly taking poison near a party venue. A 50-year-old Murugan man died at Vijay’s rally. The body of the deceased, a porter from Mettur, was found right in front of the meeting area.Police said Murugan had traveled to Salem and consumed a deadly poison-wine mixture, news agency ANI reported.Investigators found a letter left by Murugan in which he cited ongoing family issues as his motive.While the act was personal in nature, its proximity to high-profile political events attracted widespread attention. A case has been registered and his family members have reached Salem Government Hospital to collect his body after post-mortem.Murugan’s death is the second fatality related to the Salem incident.Earlier, a 37-year-old man Suraj, identified as a silver industry worker from Maharashtra, fainted while attending the meeting as a spectator.Although he was rushed to a nearby private hospital, he was declared dead due to a heart attack. Suraj is survived by his wife and a young child.Following the devastating stampede in Karur a few months ago that left nearly 40 people dead, these spate of incidents have once again raised concerns over security and crowd management at TVK events.After Suraj’s fall, the atmosphere became unstable. When journalists tried to cover the medical emergency, violent scuffles broke out between members of the media and TVK cadres.Journalists at the scene said party workers physically assaulted them to prevent the incident from being recorded, leading to a tense standoff despite a heavy police presence.
