Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay turned emotional and broke down while handing over compassionate appointment orders to members of families affected by the 2025 Karur stampede, nearly a year after the tragedy claimed 41 lives.
During his first official visit to Karur since assuming office in May, Vijay met the families of the victims and distributed appointment orders to 31 beneficiaries. Several family members said the Chief Minister was overcome with emotion while interacting with them.
“Some families got emotional, and the Chief Minister also broke down,” a family member of one of the victims said.
#WATCH | கரூர் சம்பவத்தில் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட குடும்பங்களைச் சேர்ந்த 31 பேருக்கு அரசுப் பணி ஆணை வழங்கிய முதலமைச்சர் விஜய். பள்ளிக் கல்வி, வருவாய்,
ஊரக வளர்ச்சி உள்ளிட்ட துறைகளில் கருணை அடிப்படையில் பணி நியமனம்#vijay #karur #govtjob #News18TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/ztgz6BGEFJ
— News18 Tamil Nadu (@News18TamilNadu) July 10, 2026
Another beneficiary said, “The Chief Minister broke down emotionally and cried.”
“முதலமைச்சர் எமோசனலாகி அழுதார்”
-கரூர் கூட்ட நெரிசலில் உயிரிழந்த 41 பேரின் குடும்பத்தில் 31 பேருக்கு கருணை அடிப்படை வேலைக்கான அரசாணை வழங்கிய முதலமைச்சர் விஜய் #Karurstamepede #Vijay #Govtjob #News18TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/jybjKh0VMt
— News18 Tamil Nadu (@News18TamilNadu) July 10, 2026
Congress MP Jyothimani, who was present at the event, also confirmed the emotional moment. “Do not view the Karur incident through a political lens. When the appointment orders were handed over, the Chief Minister broke down in tears,” she said.
Jobs Given To Victims’ Families
The beneficiaries were appointed to various government departments, including School Education, Revenue, Rural Development, Urban Affairs, Police, Registration, Town Panchayats and the Karur Collectorate.
The appointments were made to posts such as Junior Assistant, Office Assistant and Night Watchman.
In addition, Vijay handed over a compensation cheque of Rs 10 lakh to K Shanthi, wife of Kandasamy from Erode, whose son was among those killed in the stampede.
Earlier, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had permitted the Tamil Nadu government to provide compassionate appointments to the families of the 41 victims, while directing that the appointments be made on a temporary basis.
Vijay Targets DMK Over Stampede Controversy
Addressing a public gathering during his maiden visit to Karur as the Chief Minister, Vijay launched a sharp attack on the DMK, accusing the ruling Dravidian party of attempting to derive “political mileage” from the tragedy.
The TVK founder alleged that efforts had been made to prevent him from visiting Karur even after he became Chief Minister.
Seeking to rebut allegations surrounding the stampede, Vijay said the tragedy remained the most painful chapter of his political journey.
“Above everything else, the Karur stampede deaths caused me the deepest pain and the worst wounds,” he said.
Vijay Raises Questions Over Police Handling
Vijay also questioned the role of the police in managing the massive crowd that gathered for the TVK rally on September 27, 2025, where the stampede occurred.
According to him, police officials in Perambalur had earlier warned him about large crowds and advised caution during campaign events, but no such warning was issued in Karur.
“The police could have alerted us that the crowd was swelling and had become unmanageable. They had every right to cancel the meeting. Instead, they escorted us from the highway,” Vijay said.
He added that he had trusted the police and even thanked them at the event, only to later question whether adequate steps had been taken to prevent the tragedy.
“I trusted the police fully and even thanked them at the meeting. I didn’t know about the drama. Who is responsible for this? Under whose instruction was all this done?” he asked.
A Tragedy That Changed Tamil Nadu Politics
The Karur stampede on September 27, 2025, occurred during a TVK rally addressed by Vijay and left 41 people dead, making it one of the deadliest political gathering tragedies in Tamil Nadu in recent years.
Although Vijay was unable to meet all the affected families immediately after the incident, he said he had later arranged for them to travel near Chennai and personally consoled them.
Friday’s visit marked his first appearance in Karur as Chief Minister and was dominated by both emotional scenes with bereaved families and renewed political sparring over accountability for the tragedy.
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