Tamil superstar and politician Vijay to meet with stampede victims and families, a month after tragedy

Dubai: Exactly one month after the tragic stampede in Karur in South Indian state Chennai, actor-politician Vijay is meeting with the families of the victims at a private hotel in Mahabalipuram.

According to a report in The Week, Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), organised the gathering at a resort, where they had booked 50 rooms to allow the actor to personally meet with the grieving families and offer his condolences.

The stampede, which occurred during a TVK event on September 27, claimed 41 lives and left over 60 people injured.

The disaster unfolded as the crowd, swelling unexpectedly, surged uncontrollably upon Vijay's arrival.

In response, TVK has provided Rs20 lakh (Dh10,000) relief funds to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragedy. However, the meeting in Mahabalipuram has sparked a social media debate.

Some users have criticised Vijay for arranging travel and accommodation for the families, suggesting he could have visited Karur directly to offer his condolences instead. In defense, TVK stated that Vijay could not travel to Karur due to a lack of permission from authorities.

This meeting comes just days after the Supreme Court ordered a CBI investigation into the incident, appointing a three-member monitoring committee to oversee the probe.

TVK had previously appealed to the Supreme Court against a Madras High Court decision to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the stampede.