Video evidence that has emerged after the 27 September stampede punched holes in the TVK's narrative. Videos showed Vijay continuing his speech, even as people in the crowd tried to divert his attention to the stampede.
Published Oct 05, 2025 | 11:40 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 05, 2025 | 11:40 AM
Visuals from the stampede in Karur.
Synopsis: Actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has not shouldered responsibility for the stampede that killed 41 people, including women and children. However, it is trying hard to blame the state government and the DMK, peddling a sabotage angle. Videos that have surfaced, however, tell a story different from what TVK wants to hear.
A week after the deadly stampede during actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Karur had claimed 41 lives, the party preferred to blame others, despite the Madras High Court’s observations against it.
Video evidence that has emerged after the 27 September stampede punched holes in the TVK’s narrative. Videos showed Vijay continuing his speech, even as people in the crowd tried to divert his attention to the stampede.
Incidentally, Justice N Senthilkumar of the High Court had criticised the TVK and the Government of Tamil Nadu for the stampede. The judge also noted Vijay’s remorselessness and his fleeing Karur soon after the incident.
After an initial stunned silence, TVK trained its guns on the state government and the ruling DMK. The party’s social media coordinators claimed that the chaos was orchestrated, alleging that hundreds forced their way into the gathering and attacked people.
During bail hearings at the Madurai Bench of the High Court for TVK state secretary N Anand and CDR Nirmal Kumar claimed that some chemical substance was thrown into the crowd and that the sudden police baton charges were a major reason for the tragedy.
And then, the videos surfaced.
TVK had sought permission to hold Vijay’s meeting on the main road of Velusamipuram, Karur, between 3 pm and 10 pm. Yet, Anand and other TVK functionaries had been circulating on social media that Vijay would arrive as early as noon. This prompted fans to start gathering at the venue as early as 9 am.
Instead of arriving at 3 pm, Vijay reached the venue late, around 7 pm. Eyewitnesses told reporters that the moment Vijay entered the rally zone, the crowd surged forward to see him, triggering the stampede.
One of the viral videos showed a man in the crowd gesturing frantically at Vijay, shouting that 10 people had already died.
In another video, a collapsed person is seen receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from those nearby, with Vijay’s speech continuing in the background. Contrary to an earlier accusation that police were absent, the same video also showed policemen trying to revive the unconscious man.
Another major allegation raised by TVK was that unidentified individuals had thrown shoes at Vijay. But a video showed the person who threw the footwear. The footage showed several people screaming to get Vijay’s attention.
When he failed to notice, someone hurled objects toward his campaign vehicle out of desperation — or probably to divert his attention to people fainting in the crowd.
Family testimonies further confirmed the sequence. The daughter of a victim stated, “Until 4 pm, there wasn’t much crowd. But when Vijay arrived late, fans rushed forward to see him. People fell over each other, the crush worsened, and we couldn’t do anything. We have no idea about what exactly happened in the first 15 minutes.”
As reported earlier, the accusation that ambulances were sent away without real patients was false. In reality, people began fainting as soon as Vijay entered. Videos clearly recorded supporters shouting, “Call the ambulance!”
The first ambulance arrived after 7:15 pm. At one point, even TVK’s social media warriors – and later Vijay himself – were captured on video sarcastically commenting from the campaign vehicle.
Another recently surfaced video showed a differently-abled youth using sign language, signalling that at least five people had fainted, even as others around him collapsed. Yet, in the same clip, Vijay was seen atop the campaign vehicle singing “Ten rupees per bottle”, oblivious to what was happening around him.
These videos confirmed that the moment Vijay arrived, the crowd surged, and people started collapsing. Yet, the TVK continued the campaign rally without pausing.
It is now evident that Vijay, speaking from atop the campaign vehicle, remained unaware of the unfolding tragedy beneath him. And when he understood the gravity of the situation, he left for Chennai.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
