New Delhi: Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay became emotional on Monday as he met the families of those who lost their lives in the Karur stampede last month, which claimed 41 lives during his political rally.
The meeting took place at a resort in Mamallapuram near Chennai, where 37 of the 41 bereaved families gathered to meet the actor. Vijay personally consoled the family members, four to five from each household, and offered his apologies for the tragedy and for not being able to visit Karur immediately after the incident.
“I was filled with guilt because I couldn’t meet you earlier. I couldn’t think beyond that. Now that I have met you, I can move forward,” he told them during the interaction. Families said Vijay assured them that he would stand by them in the years ahead, promising continued support.
Before the personal meetings, the families were seated together in a hall at the resort before being escorted in groups to meet Vijay privately. The actor spent time listening to each family’s concerns and grief. Ahead of Diwali, he had transferred Rs 20 lakh as relief to every bereaved family.
In a video message released shortly after the incident, Vijay had said he avoided visiting the injured in person at the time to prevent the situation from becoming more chaotic and emotionally charged. His statewide political tour has since been suspended.
The stampede, which occurred on September 27 in Karur, also left more than 50 people injured. The Supreme Court has ordered a CBI investigation into the tragedy, even as the Tamil Nadu police and ruling DMK attributed the incident to delays in the rally schedule. TVK has rejected those claims, calling them politically motivated.
Following the tragedy, the Madras High Court directed the state government to draft a standard operating procedure for political rallies within ten days. Meanwhile, both the AIADMK and BJP have sought to engage with TVK in the aftermath, though Vijay has previously ruled out any alliance with the BJP.
