CHENNAI: A month after the tragic stampede during actor and TVK president Vijay's rally in Karur, Vijay met the families of as many as 33 of the 41 people who were killed.
He also met a few of those who sustained injuries in a closed-door meeting organised at a private hall near Mahabalipuram on Monday.
Few of the families TNIE spoke to said Vijay apologised for not being able to visit them in Karur earlier, citing alleged lack of permission from the government and the unavailability of a suitable private venue.
Over 160 relatives the victims went from Karur to Chennai on Sunday evening to meet Vijay.
The meeting, which began at around 9 a.m, lasted till 6.30 p.m. was sombre, with many families breaking down as they shared their grief.
Party sources said Vijay met each family individually for nearly 20 minutes, listening to them and offering words of comfort.
P Anandha Jothi, a textile worker from Karur who lost his wife and two children in the tragedy, told TNIE that Vijay asked him what help the family needed.
"He became emotional after seeing the photos of the deceased. He told us he did not know how to console us. He touched our feet and wept."
"He asked us to think of him as one among our family and assured to stand with us for the rest of our lives, Ananda Jothi said, adding that the actor also promised to visit home one day.
Many grieving families requested Vijay to take a picture with them while holding pictures of their loved ones who had died in the tragedy.
Another family member of a deceased person, who did not wish to be named, told TNIE that he explained to Vijay about what happened during the incident.
"Vijay said he did not completely understand what had happened before he reached. He mentioned that he saw children struggling and spoke about the water bottles he was distributing. He apologised for the entire incident.
The victims' families told TNIE that Vijay spoke to them "like a family member and not like a politician," and did not make any political statements.
On criticisms about bringing the families all the way to Chennai instead of the actor meeting them in Karur, KG Arunraj, General Secretary of Propaganda and Policy Development for TVK, said, "The party has explained that there were logistical and security challenges in organising it in Karur. It was essential to complete the event in Karur within two to three hours, which would have made meaningful interactions impossible."
He added that Vijay wanted to spend more time with the families.
"Our leader felt he should speak to the victims without worrying about time, which is why this arrangement was made."
Wife of victim returns TVK’s Rs 20L solatium
Karur: Wife of stampede victim Ramesh, M Sangavi of Kodangipatti in Karur, has returned the Rs 20 lakh solatium given by TVK allegedly because she was upset that Vijay did not keep his word of visiting Karur to console them, and instead met them in Chennai. Sangavi also claimed that she was not invited to the meeting. Instead, her sister-in-law Boomathi and her husband Arjunan, along with a relative, were taken to Chennai. Stating that she was upset at not being informed about the meeting, Sangavi said that she returned the Rs 20 lakh solatium that was deposited in her bank account by the party, through bank transfer.
