Karur stampede: Fans back Vijay amid CBI probe, blame police lapse

TVK Chief Vijay appeared for a second round of CBI interrogation in Delhi regarding the Karur stampede. Fans gathered in his support, blaming security lapses for the tragedy that killed 41 people. The probe focuses on event delays and security.

Fans gathered outside the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) office to show support for "Thalapathy", Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Chief Vijay, who is there for the second round of interrogation in connection with the Karur Stampede that claimed 41 lives in September 2025. Fans held TVK flags in their hands as a symbol of their favourable stance towards the actor-turned-politician.

Fans Blame Security Lapses for Stampede

Speaking to ANI, a fan dismissed Vijay's role in the stampede and attributed inadequate police protection at the party campaign event as a cause of the stampede. "Thalapathy sir is also deeply saddened by the incident in Karur, where 41 people lost their lives. You can't blame only Thalapathy. There wasn't even as much police force there as you see here," a fan said.

Another one of the actor-turned-politician's followers seconded his stance and blamed the security lapse for the crowd's infiltration. "There weren't police officers. That's why this happened. Who knows how many people infiltrated the crowd...the infiltrators are the ones who caused the stampede, that's how all this happened," he accused.

Another devoted fan, who even got a tattoo dedicated to Thalapathy, said that he couldn't come to Vijay's first questioning session with CBI and thus came to support him the second time. "He is an emotion for me. I'm a huge fan of his. I've been here since 7 AM. I couldn't come last time, so this time, when I got to know, I came here to support him," he stated.

CBI Investigation Details Emerge

Meanwhile, Vijay reached the CBI office in Delhi earlier today, in connection with the probe into the Karur stampede case. Vijay, who is staying at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi, is expected to be questioned by the CBI regarding the circumstances of the disaster.

The CBI had last week conducted a detailed line of questioning of Vijay as part of its probe into the Karur stampede case. The agency's line of questioning focused heavily on the mechanics of the disaster and the timeline of events on September 27, 2025.

Probe Focuses on 7-Hour Delay

The CBI took over the investigation from the Tamil Nadu Police in October last year following a Supreme Court order. Since then, the agency has been examining the circumstances surrounding the stampede at a political event in Karur. One of the key issues under scrutiny was the "7-hour" discrepancy: Investigators are probing a massive delay between the scheduled start of the event and Vijay's actual arrival. They are examining whether this wait caused the crowd to swell from an expected 10,000 to over 30,000, leading to a complete loss of control.

Police Personnel Questioned

Additionally, inquiries are underway at the Karur CBI office with nine police personnel who were on security duty during the Karur stampede. The police personnel appearing for inquiry are being questioned by CBI officials about the time and place of their deployment during Vijay's campaign event on September 27, the sequence of events during the stampede, and other details related to the security arrangements in place at the time.

Background of the Case

On September 27 last year, during the public outreach programme of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader Vijay in Karur, a crowd stampede occurred, resulting in the deaths of 41 people. The case is being investigated by the CBI as per the Supreme Court's directions.

For the past three months, CBI officials have been conducting the investigation in multiple phases at the temporary CBI office functioning at the Public Works Department-owned Tourist Bungalow located near the Karur District Collectorate. So far, the CBI has questioned several individuals, including the relatives of those who lost their lives in the stampede, the injured persons, ambulance drivers and owners, doctors who conducted the post-mortems, residents of the Veluchamipuram area, members of the public, traders, and office-bearers of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)