It had been reported for some time that Vijay intended to personally meet the families of those who died in the Karur stampede.
Published Oct 25, 2025 | 12:23 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 25, 2025 | 12:23 PM
TVK chief Vijay during his rally in Karur. (TVK)
Synopsis: Actor and TVK president Vijay will meet families of the 41 victims of the Karur stampede on 27 October at Mahabalipuram, a month after the tragedy during his election rally. Arranged by TVK’s second-tier leaders, the meeting follows Vijay’s absence from public events and social media criticism for not visiting the families directly. Some families have declined to attend, citing unresolved grief.
Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay is scheduled to meet the families of the 41 people who lost their lives in the Karur stampede on Monday, October 27, at Mahabalipuram near Chennai.
Arrangements for this meeting are reportedly being handled by the party’s second-tier leaders.
On 27 September, during an election campaign rally in Karur district attended by Vijay, a crowd crush occurred, claiming lives of 41 and injuring hundreds.
Now, exactly a month after the tragic incident, Vijay is said to have planned a meeting with the victims’ families on 27 October — a month post the tragedy.
Following the deadly stampede, Vijay left Karur for Chennai and has not appeared at any public events since. Apart from posting three updates on social media and announcing ₹20 lakh as financial aid for the victims’ kin, he has remained out of the public eye.
Meanwhile, several TVK leaders, including district secretary Mathiyazhagan — who was arrested in connection with the incident — have been engaged in legal matters such as seeking bail for party functionaries, including general secretary N Anand, CTR Nirmal Kumar, and Aadhav Arjuna, and filing petitions in the Supreme Court demanding an inquiry into the Karur tragedy.
It had been reported for some time that Vijay intended to personally meet the families of those who died in the Karur stampede. Sources said a formal request seeking permission for such a meeting was submitted to the DGP’s office, following which a letter was sent to the Karur district SP seeking approval.
Meanwhile, Vijay had spoken with the affected families through a video call about two weeks ago.
However, when TVK members tried to organise the event in Karur or nearby districts, private halls and venues reportedly refused to provide space for the meeting.
As a result, it has now been confirmed that Vijay will meet the families on 27 October at Mahabalipuram, near Chennai.
Speaking to one of the affected persons who lost three members of his family in the tragedy, he said, “We’ve been told to come to Chennai on the 27th. They said they’ll arrange everything, including bus transportation. So we are going.”
At the same time, reports suggest that a few families have declined to attend, saying they are still unable to recover from the grief of losing their loved ones.
Meanwhile, several people on social media have slammed Vijay’s decision to summon the bereaved families to his chosen venue instead of personally visiting them, calling it a “distasteful precedent in politics.”
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
