Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay blamed the police for the Karur stampede during his party’s election campaign and said the tragedy could have been avoided if the district police had alerted him earlier. He also said police had the authority to stop crowd events when they sensed danger, making the incident a governance and public-safety issue beyond party politics.
What happened
C. Joseph Vijay visited Karur for the first time after assuming office and spoke about the stampede that occurred on September 27, 2025 at Velusamypuram, where he had addressed a rally during his election campaign.
Vijay said the police should have warned him about the large crowd and could have advised cancellation of the meeting, as happened earlier at Perambalur when he was in Ariyalur. He said he accepted the police advice in that case for public safety.
Vijay also questioned why the police escorted him to the venue from the highway and asked who issued instructions to the police. He said the tragedy caused him severe pain because it killed people, including children and women.
Political response
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