31 aggrieved families of victims of the September 27 stampede in Karur met actor-politician and Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam chief Vijay at a private resort in Mamallapuram, near Chennai on Monday, party insiders said.
The tragedy killed 41 people in total, belonging to 38 families, out of which 7 opted out of the visit, they added. “Vijay met each of the families one by one. It was a private meeting,” a member of his team said, adding that the meetings lasted for about seven hours collectively.
Vijay’s team members said that they arranged this “private program” due to logistical issues which cropped up when they tried to organise a meeting with the families in Karur and adjoining Namakkal district.
“He (Vijay) apologised to the families for not coming to Karur to meet them,” the person quoted above said. “Vijay assured them that he will help their family members and children with their education.”
Vijay was earlier criticised for flying back immediately to Chennai after the stampede and breaking his silence three days later, speaking to the families two weeks later while transferring electronically a solatium of ₹20-lakh each to the families.
The actor-politician wrote a letter to the Director General of Police on October 9 seeking a green corridor from Tiruchirapalli (Trichy) to Karur and police protection to control his fans and supporters at the airport and at the venue to meet the families.
The stampede is currently under an investigation. In response to a petition by TVK, the Supreme Court transferred the investigation from a SIT appointed by the Madras high court to the CBI.
