After Karur, Vijay opts for indoors in Kancheepuram today

CHENNAI: Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay will resume his public engagements on Sunday with a carefully planned, closed-door interaction with select cadre and supporters from three taluks of Kancheepuram, his first public appearance since the tragic Karur stampede on September 27 that claimed 41 lives.

According to TVK general secretary N Anand, only 2,000 invitees from Kancheepuram district, who were issued QR-coded entry passes, will be allowed into the 'makkal santhippu' event scheduled at 11 am at a private engineering college campus in Sunguvarchatram.

“The programme has been structured entirely as an indoor interaction. Only those with valid QR-based passes will be permitted. No exceptions will be made. We request complete cooperation from party members and the public,” Anand said in a statement.

Ahead of the event, party functionaries performed special interfaith prayers on Saturday seeking the programme’s smooth and safe conduct. Anand visited Vallakkottai Subramaniyaswamy temple, the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Health in Sriperumbudur, and Masjid-e-Abdul Sukkur in Vallakkottai, offering prayers with party cadre.

Following the Karur incident, Vijay stayed away from large public gatherings but met the families of the victims in Mamallapuram. Earlier this month, he convened a special General Council meeting and subsequently formed a 4,000-member “public protection force” trained by retired Army and police personnel to manage crowds at future events.

Extensive security arrangements have been put in place in Kancheepuram for Vijay's meeting.

Metal barricades have been erected, access points restricted, and party security volunteers deployed to prevent unauthorised entry. The college perimeter has been sealed with temporary barricading to discourage crowd surges and fan intrusion.

TVK has also formally sought police permission for the event, which is being held indoors as guidelines for political public gatherings remain under court review.

Arrangements continued late into Saturday night as cadre prepared for what the party views as a significant restart to Vijay’s mass outreach campaign, which ended abruptly after the tragic deaths in the Karur stampede.