CM Vijay says he was mocked and blamed for Karur stampede tragedy: ‘We lost those innocent children who were like God’

TAmil Nadu chief government minister C chief joseph Vijay recalled memories of the horrific Karur stampede, which claimed the lives of 41 people endure yr. Vijay addressed a monolithic 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.What Vijay saidHe said, “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.”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?""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.More detailsThe crowd crush at Vijay's Karur rally on September 25 last year set the TVK and DMK in a face-off while questions were raised at the security arrangement at the event.The case reached the Supreme Court, which on October 13, 2025 transferred the probe into the stampede to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) saying that the tragedy had shaken “public conscience” and raised serious doubts about the fairness of the state investigation. In its application filed by the party’s organising secretary and former Rajya Sabha MP RS Bharathi, the DMK has alleged that a series of actions by the ruling TVK government, including the proposed distribution of government jobs and other benefits to the families of stampede victims, alongside public statements made by ministers who are themselves accused in the case, risk “compromising” the ongoing investigation.