Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay visited Karur for the first time since the 2025 stampede, describing the tragedy as the “greatest pain” of his life. Speaking at a public meeting at Atlas Ground, he handed over government job appointment letters to the families of the 41 people who died in the incident.
He alleged that the police had failed to control the crowd, while accusing the then DMK government of trying to hold him responsible for the 41 deaths.
On September 27, 2025, a stampede broke out at TVK’s first election rally in Karur, killing 41 people and injuring over 100. In the assembly elections that year, TVK emerged as the largest party despite contesting for the first time. With the support of a coalition, the party formed the government, and Vijay became the chief minister.
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- Vijay became emotional while recalling the tragedy and questioned the arrangements for the event. He asked, “Who was responsible? Who gave the orders? Was there adequate police deployment for such a large crowd?”
- The Chief Minister said his People’s Meet programme was launched to interact directly with the public and understand their concerns. He claimed that in Perambalur, police had advised cancelling an event because of large crowds, but no such warning was issued in Karur despite the expected turnout.
- Vijay said, “After the Namakkal meeting, when we were travelling to Karur, the Karur police could have alerted us. If they believed the crowd was too difficult to manage, they could have cancelled the event. They had every right to do so. Instead, they escorted us to the venue.”
- The TVK chief added, “I trusted the police completely and even thanked the officers. I never imagined such a tragedy would happen. Many children who came to see me lost their lives, making this loss deeply personal and painful.”
- He also said, “Whenever my picture appeared on television, children would smile and call me ‘Vijay Uncle’. We lost innocent children who were like gods. While I was mourning, people mocked me and accused me of running away and hiding.”
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Vijay announces a memorial to honour the deceased
Vijay announced that TVK would build a memorial in Karur to commemorate those who lost their lives in the accident. He stated that this memorial would be built to ensure future generations remember the incident and to prevent future political exploitation of such tragedies.
Vijay also launched a scathing attack on the DMK, accusing the previous government of corruption and political vendetta, and appealed to the people to defeat the DMK in the upcoming elections.
Security breach during Vijay’s visit as youth rushes towards convoy
A security breach occurred during Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s visit when a young man broke through the barricades and ran towards his convoy. Security personnel quickly restrained him, and the convoy continued without disruption.
Thousands of supporters lined the streets to welcome Vijay, showering his convoy with flowers. Heavy police deployment, barricades and a QR code-based entry system were put in place across the district to manage the crowds.
Ahead of the event, the Madras High Court permitted the Tamil Nadu government to provide compassionate government jobs to the families of the victims. However, the court said the appointments would remain temporary and be subject to the Supreme Court’s final verdict in the pending case.
