Karur, Sep 27 (IANS) A year after 41 people died at a rally addressed by Vijay in Tamil Nadu’s Karur, the families of the victims and those who survived the crush are marking an anniversary that remains painful for the city.
On September 27, 2025, supporters of Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) gathered from the morning at Velusamypuram. Many hoped to see the actor-turned-politician in person. Families had brought children, and party songs played as the crowd waited for his arrival. Vijay reached the area that evening. As people moved towards his campaign vehicle, the gathering became dangerously congested. Some fell and were trapped beneath others. Members of the public and police pulled people from the crowd and took the injured to hospitals.
What had begun as a political gathering ended with 41 deaths and injuries to more than 100 people. The victims included children.
For their families, the anniversary brings back the wait at the rally site, the frantic search after the crush and the news that followed from hospitals.
The number 41 has since become inseparable from Karur’s memory of that night.
The tragedy also prompted questions about the choice of venue, the size and movement of the crowd, and the arrangements made to keep people safe.
Political parties have differed sharply over responsibility. The Supreme Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the incident and appointed a committee to oversee the probe.
The then government and TVK announced financial assistance for bereaved families. The loss, however, continues to shape the lives of those who were at Velusamypuram and of relatives who were not there but received the news that night.
Vijay, now Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, returned to Karur on July 10, 2026. He met victims’ families, handed over government job appointment orders to some relatives and announced that a memorial would be built in the city in memory of those who died.
As Karur observes the first anniversary, the promised memorial remains a reminder of lives cut short at a gathering their families had expected them to return from safely.
–IANS
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