Karur (Tamil Nadu)

 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday will hand over appointment orders to the members of 32 families affected by the tragic stampede here, amidst tight security arrangements.

This marks Vijay's first official visit to Karur after he took up the reins as chief minister in May. Vijay would console the families of 41 people who lost their lives in a stampede during a TVK rally in which he participated on September 27, 2025. He will also meet party workers during a 'Makkal santhippu' (meet the people) at 11 am at a private college ground on the Karur-Salem Highway.

State Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources and TVK General Secretary N Anand informed that only 5,000 persons possessing a QR code entry pass will be allowed to attend the programme and appealed to the people to strictly follow the police guidelines.

As the Chief Minister left for Karur from his Neelankarai residence in Chennai, Public Works and Sports Development Minister Aadhav Arjuna told reporters here that the government had confirmed the final list of those injured and verified them.

The main event is scheduled to take place at the Atlas Auditorium at around 12.30 pm. Additionally, the Chief Minister will lay the foundation stone for a new Rs 1,700 crore manufacturing facility of Evervan Kothari Footwear Private Limited in Manavasi. The project is expected to create over 13,500 jobs locally.

Vijay is expected to arrive here by road from Tiruchirappalli airport. The administration has made arrangements for the government event at the Karur district collectorate for extending the humanitarian aid.

Stating that the pain of the 41 affected families who lost their loved ones in the tragic incident was "indescribable", Karur Congress MP Jothimani said no amount of compensation could wipe the tears of those affected.

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"We all know that a job appointment alone cannot bring back the lives they lost. But we must also understand the struggle that those families are facing today. Many of those who died were the only source of income for their families. They were simple, marginalised people," she said on 'X', defending the state government's decision amidst sharp criticism by the opposition parties that faulted the Chief Minister's visit as politically motivated and would hamper the CBI probe into the Karur stampede case.