'I trusted police to control the crowd, yet I was blamed for deaths' : Tamil Nadu CM Vijay recalls Karur stampede tragedy
Tamil Nadu CM C. Joseph Vijay stated the 2025 Karur stampede remains the deepest wound of his political journey, alleging that police failed to adequately manage the crowd
CM Vijay recalls stampede tragedy, announces memorial for victims(Photo Credit: PTI)
Karur: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday slammed the DMK for attempting to gain "political mileage" from the tragic stampede last year and restraining him from visiting the district. While addressing a massive gathering at Atlas Ground in Karur, Tamil Nadu CM Vijay stated that the 2025 Karur stampede remains the deepest wound of his political journey. He even claimed that police failed to adequately manage the crowd. He accused the previous DMK government of attempting to shift the blame onto him for the tragedy that claimed 41 lives. "I trusted the police to control the crowd, yet I was blamed for the deaths," the CM stated.
In his first visit to the district since the stampede tragedy, the Tamil Nadu CM said, "The DMK cannot be reformed, and it doesn't seem like they are willing to change either. I urge the people to give the DMK a fitting reply in the upcoming by-election," as reported by news agency ANI.
'Certain pains and wounds in the heart cannot be forgotten': CM Vijay on Karur stampede
Showing his emotional side while recalling the incident, he stated that no success in life could erase the pain caused by the loss of innocent lives."No matter how great a height a man reaches in life, certain pains and wounds in the heart cannot be forgotten. More than anything else, the pain and wound that affected me the most is the Karur incident," Vijay added. The actor-turned-politician took the oath as Tamil Nadu CM on May 10, crowning his party's debut performance in the assembly polls. For the unversed, the stampede incident occurred on October 27, months before he took the CM oath, during a public rally addressed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay, where a stampede led to the deaths of 41 people.
Reminiscing the events leading up to the tragedy, the Chief Minister stated that his statewide "People's Meet" outreach programme was aimed at interacting directly with the public and understanding their concerns. The actor turned politician alleged that while police had previously advised him to cancel a programme in Perambalur due to crowd concerns, no such warning was given before the Karur event despite the large turnout.
Vijay said, "After finishing the Namakkal meeting, when we were coming to Karur, couldn't the Karur police have alerted us? They could have cancelled the meeting if they felt the crowd could not be controlled. They had every right to do so. Instead, they brought us to the venue. I believed them completely and even thanked the police officers that day. I never imagined such a tragedy would happen."
'Lost those innocent children who were like God': CM Vijay questions the handling of the event
Questioning the preparedness of the event, Vijay asked, "Who is responsible for all this? Who gave the orders? People, I ask you, was adequate police protection provided for such a huge crowd?" The TVK chief said the tragedy claimed the lives of several children who had come to see him, making the loss deeply personal. He added, "If my picture appeared on television, children would smile and call me 'Vijay uncle'. We lost those innocent children who were like God. Even while I was grieving, people mocked me and blamed me, asking why I had 'run away and hidden'."
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