Chennai: Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay has personally met with the families of the 41 victims who lost their lives in the September 27th stampede at a party rally in Karur. The meeting, which took place at a star hotel in Pooncheri, near Mamallapuram, on Tuesday morning, marks the leader’s first in-person consolation to the grieving families more than a month after the tragic incident.
The stampede, which occurred during a “Thalapathy” Vijay campaign event, also left over a hundred people seriously injured. While political leaders from various parties visited Karur in the immediate aftermath, Vijay had initially connected with the victims via a video call on the night of the incident, promising a personal visit once police permission was secured.
A Month-Long Wait Ends with a Mamallapuram Meeting
Despite anticipation that Vijay would visit Karur on October 17th, the meeting did not materialize. Party officials cited a lack of police permission due to security concerns as the reason for the delay. However, the very next day, the promised financial aid of Rs. 1 lakh per victim was directly transferred to the families’ bank accounts.
Today’s meeting was organized as an alternative. A total of 235 individuals from 35 affected families were brought to a resort in Pooncheri in Mamallapuram near Chennai. Vijay arrived at the venue around 8 a.m. and is currently engaged in one-on-one conversations with each family, offering his personal condolences and solace.
Meeting Coincides with Key Legal Hearings in Stampede Case
The personal outreach by the TVK chief coincides with a significant legal development. Six cases related to the Karur stampede are scheduled for a hearing today. In a major turning point, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the incident, has included the names of key TVK executives—General Secretary Anand and Deputy General Secretary Nirmal Kumar—in its preliminary information report.