"No success can erase pain of Karur": CM Vijay recalls stampede tragedy, announces memorial for victims

"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 said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President C Joseph Vijay on Friday said the 2025 Karur stampede remains the deepest wound of his political journey, alleging that police failed to adequately manage the crowd and accusing the previous DMK government of attempting to shift the blame onto him for the tragedy that claimed 41 lives. Addressing a massive gathering at Atlas Ground in Karur after distributing compassionate government job appointment orders to the families of the victims, Vijay became emotional while recalling the incident, saying 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 said. Recounting the events leading up to the tragedy, the Chief Minister said his statewide "People's Meet" outreach programme was aimed at interacting directly with the public and understanding their concerns.

He 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. "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," Vijay said.

Questioning the handling 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.

"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'," he said. Announcing a memorial in honour of those who lost their lives, Vijay said TVK would construct it in Karur to ensure future generations remember the incident and to prevent such tragedies from being politicised.

"In order to make the coming generation aware of the conspiracy and plot against us, so that no one even thinks of another political conspiracy, we announce that a memorial will be built in Karur on behalf of our TVK," he said. Vijay also launched a sharp attack on the DMK, accusing the previous government of corruption and political vendetta, while urging people to reject what he termed an "evil force" in the upcoming by-election.

Ahead of the event, the Madras High Court permitted the Tamil Nadu government to issue compassionate appointment orders to the victims' families but clarified that the appointments would be temporary and subject to the outcome of proceedings related to the Karur stampede pending before the Supreme Court. The Chief Minister's visit witnessed a brief security breach when a man broke through barricades and rushed towards his convoy. Security personnel immediately intercepted the individual, and the convoy continued without disruption.

Thousands of supporters lined the roads to welcome Vijay, showering flower petals on his convoy as heavy police deployment, barricades and QR code-enabled entry arrangements were put in place across the district. (ANI).