TVK Chief Vijay Meets Families Of Karur Victims A Month After Stampede

Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Chief Vijay is meeting the families of Karur stampede victims at a private hotel in Mamallapuram. The meeting comes exactly a month after 41 people died in stampede.

Over 200 people are part of a meeting with Vijay. This includes 37 families, and some who were injured in the stampede. Four to five people from each family have come to meet Vijay. The actor will reportedly console each one of them individually.

It is a closed-door meeting with restrictions and only TVK functionaries allowed inside premises.

The current move to bring the victims' families to Chennai has sparked criticism, with many questioning why Vijay did not travel to Karur instead.

Vijay had earlier announced his plan to visit Karur in person, logistical issues led to the change in venue, party sources said.

Ahead of Diwali, TVK had transferred Rs 20 lakh as relief assistance to the families of those who died in the tragic stampede at the party's welfare rally in Karur. 

Vijay's Karur Rally Stampede

Forty-one people were killed and over 50 others were injured in a stampede at a political rally held by Vijay in Karur on September 27. The youngest victim is two-year-old Dhuru Vishnu, who was at the rally with his relatives.

Tamil Nadu's Director General of Police G Venkataraman had said that a seven-hour delay in Vijay's arrival at his rally led to an uncontrollable surge of supporters. The crowd surged to 27,000 against the venue capacity of 10,000 people. The sources have also said that food and drinking water arrangements were not made at the venue.

Officials also said his team ignored police advice to halt 50 metres before the designated venue to prevent a surge.

The TVK, however, has denied any wrongdoing, blaming the delay on police mismanagement of traffic and alleging a conspiracy by the ruling DMK - an allegation the party has strongly rejected.

Meanwhile, the key opposition parties - the AIADMK and its ally BJP - are wooing TVK to join hands