Karur stampede victim’s wife returns ₹20-lakh ‘compensation’ given by Vijay

A woman, whose husband was among the 41 persons killed in last month’s stampede at a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Karur, has returned the ₹20-lakh compensation extended by actor and party chief Vijay. Shankavi Perumal said she was upset as Mr. Vijay did not visit her in Karur to offer his condolences. Instead, he had invited the families to a private resort in Mamallapuram and shared his grief with them.

Earlier, Mr. Vijay had reached out to the members of the bereaved families through a video call and assured them that he would meet them soon. He subsequently transferred ₹20 lakh each as compensation to the respective bank accounts of the families of the 41 victims.

Karur stampede: A visual timeline on how the tragedy unfolded

Ms. Shankavi, whose husband hailed from Kodangipatti, said she had received the money in her account a week ago. She has now returned the amount through Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) to the bank account through which she had received ₹20 lakh. As requested by the bank officials, she presented a letter, authorising them to transfer the money. The transaction was effected when Mr. Vijay was meeting the bereaved family members of the Karur stampede victims in Mamallapuram on Monday (October 27).

“I expected Mr. Vijay would visit Karur to offer his condolences to me and other affected persons. Without my knowledge, some TVK members convinced a few members of my husband’s family and took them to Mamallapuram to meet him. He should have visited Karur. It is disappointing. Hence, I have returned the money,” she said.

Balu, a close relative of Ramesh, who met Mr. Vijay, said Ms. Shankavi’s action was surprising. He claimed to have facilitated the transfer of the solatium announced by the actor, the State and Central governments, and others to her bank account. “She could not have acted on her own,” he said, claiming local politicians could have influenced her decision.