Karur stampede: Vijay apologises to families of 37 victims, pledges lifelong support

Mahabalipuram: Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay met the families of the Karur stampede victims on Monday, a month after the tragedy that claimed 41 lives and left more than 60 injured. In a closed-door meeting at a private resort in Mahabalipuram, he apologised to the bereaved families and assured them of continued support.

According to party sources, family members of 37 victims attended the eight-hour meeting. Vijay met each family individually, expressing regret for the incident that occurred during a TVK event in Karur on September 27. Lunch was arranged for the attendees and the actor-politician reportedly turned emotional while interacting with them.

Vijay told the families he could not visit Karur earlier as he had not received permission from the authorities. He apologised for asking them to travel to Mahabalipuram and promised to visit them in Karur soon. He assured financial aid, housing assistance, and support for education and self-employment to the affected families.

Vijay conveyed that he could never compensate for their loss but would look after them as his own family, reported PTI. The meeting lasted for over three hours, followed by group interactions.

The TVK arranged five buses to bring the families from Karur to Mahabalipuram and later back to their hometown. Party cadres were instructed not to visit the resort to ensure privacy for the grieving families.

Following the tragedy, TVK temporarily suspended its political outreach programmes, which are now expected to resume soon.