CM Vijay meets the families of the 41 stampede victims in Karur, hands over 32 government job appointment orders cleared by the Madras High Court, and announces a TVK memorial to honour those who died.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay visited Karur on Friday, marking his first visit to the district since assuming office and his first since the stampede tragedy that claimed 41 lives at a TVK public meeting in September 2025. Dressed in black, CM Vijay met the families of the victims, personally conveying his condolences and reaffirming the government's commitment to supporting them.
During the visit, CM Vijay handed over government job appointment letters to 32 affected families, after the Madras High Court cleared the way for the appointments to proceed. The Court noted that the appointments would be treated as temporary pending the outcome of a separate judicial review, and directed the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission to submit a report on the guidelines governing compassionate appointments in the case.
In one of the visit's most significant announcements, CM Vijay confirmed that TVK will build a memorial in Karur to honour the 41 people who lost their lives in the stampede. Addressing a large public gathering, he said the tragedy continued to weigh on him deeply and that those who died would always be remembered, describing Karur as a place that would remain close to his heart despite the painful memories associated with it.
CM Vijay used the occasion to explain why this marked his first visit to the district since the tragedy, noting that he had been unable to travel to Karur in the immediate aftermath due to security concerns and restrictions imposed by police at the time, and had instead addressed the bereaved families by video conference. He also responded to the Supreme Court petition filed by the DMK seeking to restrain his public comments ahead of the visit, asserting that responsibility for crowd control on the day of the tragedy rested with the police rather than the organisers.
Beyond the visit to the victims' families, CM Vijay participated in official government programmes in the district, inaugurating welfare initiatives and development projects. The Karur visit is expected to mark the beginning of a broader district-wide outreach tour, with the Chief Minister likely to visit further districts in the coming weeks to thank people for their support in the Assembly elections and review the implementation of government schemes.
Karur Stampede Memorial Job Appointments CM Vijay July 10, 2026