Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay broke down in tears while handing over government job appointment letters to the families of the victims of the Karur stampede, that claimed 41 lives during a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally he addressed in September 2025.
Dressed head-to-toe in black, the actor-turned-politician visibly struggled to contain his emotions as he consoled the grieving relatives in a deeply emotional public gathering, describing the incident as an “unhealed wound” that continues to weigh heavily on his heart.
Visuals from the event showed Vijay embracing grieving family members of the victims as they stood in silence. The visibly emotional Chief Minister often appeared looking down as he handed the documents.
Chief Minister Vijay, while addressing the gathering, paused several times as he recalled the lives lost in the tragedy that unfolded during a TVK election campaign rally, where thousands of supporters had gathered.
Friday marked Vijay’s first official visit to Karur since assuming office in May. The visit combined efforts to rehabilitate the families affected by the stampede with the launch of a major industrial project. He had earlier met the victims’ families in Chennai.
During his speech, Vijay criticised the previous government and questioned the handling of crowd management by the authorities. While reiterating that he had placed complete trust in the police and had even thanked them after the event, he said that trust had been betrayed by failures that led to the tragedy. He also accused the DMK of trying to derive “political mileage” from the incident and alleged that attempts were made to prevent him from visiting Karur after the stampede.
“I trusted the police completely and even thanked them at the meeting. I did not know about the drama. Who is responsible for this? Under whose instructions was all this done?” he asked.
The event went ahead hours after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court declined to stay the compassionate appointments despite petitions challenging the move. The court, however, clarified that the appointments would remain provisional and subject to the final outcome of the case.
Alongside the rehabilitation package, which includes welfare support and financial assistance already extended to the affected families, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for a Rs 1,700-crore footwear manufacturing project in Karur district. The project is expected to generate around 13,500 jobs in the region.
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Published On:
Jul 10, 2026 20:05 IST
