The music performance by AR Rahman in Chennai on Sunday, September 10th, transformed into a distressing experience for attendees due to crowd mismanagement, leading to numerous women reporting harassment incidents during the ensuing chaos.
Notably, this event, named ‘Marakumma Nenjam,‘ occurred at the Adityaram Palace City on Chennai’s East Coast Road, after being postponed earlier in August due to rainy weather.
Chaos, Groping Incident, And Traffic Congestion
A fan who attended the concert took to his X account, formerly Twitter, and wrote, “Never have I experienced such a panicking and distressing concert in my life. An event where I found myself getting stampeded among a huge wild crowd who were very cruel (not everyone but a few). I saw a kid who got lost in the petrifying stampede crowd and was crying so badly, pain all over…”
“Woke up to having such a weight in my heart. The unsafe feeling I have today is haunting me. One of the people who groped me, literally looked into my eyes when I just asked him for the way and move,” another user wrote on X.
Another user shared a similar experience and wrote, “The ARR concert-the absolute s**tshow. It got to a point where it was actually unsafe for people. We saw people faint, cry, panic and get anxiety attacks.”
Also Read: Here’s Why ‘Disrespect Of AR Rahman’ Is Trending On Twitter?
Mismanagement Of Crowd
An investigation by the police has been initiated into AR Rahman’s concert on September 10th in Chennai, and it has recently been revealed that the event organizers likely sold an excessive number of tickets, far exceeding the venue’s capacity.
Although the location could only accommodate approximately 20,000 to 25,000 individuals, approximately 50,000 attendees arrived for the concert on Sunday. All of them possessed valid tickets but were left frustrated as they discovered there was insufficient space for entry.
Notably, there was no VIP section despite separate tickets being sold at Rs. 50,000 each. Many social media users who attended the concert have labeled it a “SCAM” and placed blame on Rahman for the alleged scam, sharing videos to support their claims.
What Did AR Rahman And Event Manager Said?
In a statement to The Hindu, AR Rahman said “It was a tsunami of people and love that we were unable to handle.” Expressing his perspective as a composer, he believed that his primary responsibility was to deliver an outstanding performance, assuming that all other aspects would be managed.
AR Rahman took to Twitter and promised to refund tickets for individuals who were unable to refund the tickets of those who could not reach the venue.
In another interview, he stated, “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 realize that the city is expanding, and the passion to consume music and art is also expanding.”
At the same time, the event coordinator, ACTC, issued an apology on social media and acknowledged their accountability for the overcrowding issue.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: Hindustan Times, Quint, The Hindu
Find the blogger: Palak Dogra
This post is tagged under: AR Rahman, AR Rahman concert, Ar Rahman Chennai Concert, groping incidents in AR Rahman concert, ACTC
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
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