Tamil Nadu CM C. Joseph Vijay visits Karur, hands jobs to stampede victims' families and launches memorial
On July 10, 2026, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay made his first official visit to Karur since taking office. He distributed compassionate government job appointment orders to one member of each of the 32 families whose relatives died in the September 2025 stampede that killed 41 people during a TVK rally.
During the same event, Vijay announced that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) will build a permanent memorial in Karur to honour the victims. He also laid the foundation stone for a Rs 1,700 crore non‑leather footwear manufacturing plant by Evervan Kothari Footwear in Manavasi, projected to create about 13,500 jobs.
The visit was tightly secured, with thousands of police deployed. A Madras High Court order permitted the temporary appointment of the families, while a CBI investigation into the stampede continues. Vijay criticized the police for not issuing warnings and attacked the previous DMK government, framing the relief measures as both humanitarian and political statements.