CM Vijay in Karur amid controversy over government job to stampede victims
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is visiting Karur today, where appointment orders for government jobs are to be handed over to one eligible member from each of the families that lost relatives in the 2025 Karur stampede.
According to officials, the Chief Minister will meet the affected families, distribute the appointment orders, and return to Chennai the same day. Ahead of the visit, district authorities have collected educational certificates, identity documents and other necessary records from the beneficiaries to complete the recruitment process. Meanwhile, DMK and other parties are opposed to giving government jobs to victims’ family members, saying it would set wrong precedent when Karur case is still under investigation.
The tragic incident occurred on September 27, 2025, during Vijay’s election campaign meeting at Velusamypuram in Karur ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The stampede claimed 41 lives and left around 110 people injured. The case is currently being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Following the incident, the then DMK government headed by M.K. Stalin announced financial assistance of ₹10 lakh for the families of those who died, ₹1 lakh for seriously injured victims and ₹50,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.
At the time, TVK president Vijay separately announced ₹20 lakh in relief for each bereaved family and ₹2 lakh for every injured person. A month later, he also met several affected families at a private resort in Mamallapuram to offer his condolences.
The Chief Minister’s visit also comes at a politically important time, as the Karur Assembly constituency is expected to face a by-election after AIADMK MLA M.R. Vijayabhaskar resigned and joined the TVK.