Vijay has hinted at sabotage. Yet, Chief Minister Stalin, his cabinet colleagues, and DMK functionaries kept mum without responding, adding to the intrigue surrounding the stampede and its aftermath.
Published Oct 02, 2025 | 3:00 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 02, 2025 | 3:00 PM
MK Stalin and Vijay.
Synopsis: The Karur stampede and its aftermath have been intriguing to many. While the state is yet to fix responsibility, TVK leader Vijay, after a two-day silence, dared Chief Minister MK Stalin to arrest him. Interestingly, the DMK did not come to the defence of Stalin, who said that he would wait for Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission report. Meanwhile, TVK seems to be playing all tricks, even those employed by the Nazis and the RSS.
For two days after the Karur stampede, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader and actor Vijay remained silent. On the third day, he dared Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
“CM sir, if you want revenge, take it on me,” an unapologetic Vijay said in a video message released on Tuesday, 30 September, three days after a deadly stampede had occurred before his eyes in Karur. He had then hurriedly left Karur and sequestered himself in his Chennai residence, even as the last rites of 41 people, including women and children, were performed.
The dare did not go unnoticed. Vijay has hinted at sabotage. Yet, Chief Minister Stalin, his cabinet colleagues, and DMK functionaries kept mum without responding, adding to the intrigue surrounding the stampede and its aftermath.
Even as Vijay was rushing back to Chennai, Stalin held a meeting with senior officials in Chennai, and a judicial commission, under Justice Aruna Jagadeesan, was set up to probe the incident. Stalin then left for Karur.
“Do not politicise this (stampede). I will not answer political questions. Action will be based only on Justice Aruna Jagadeesan’s report,” he told reporters in a pre-dawn interaction in Karur the next day.
So far, Stalin has kept his word.
Following the Karur incident, two contrasting narratives dominated social media.
In the pro-Vijay posts, many accused the Tamil Nadu government and former minister and Karur MLA V Senthil Balaji of orchestrating the killings. They even alleged murder conspiracies. Some media houses, too, amplified these unverified claims.
Meanwhile, in the anti-Vijay posts, several videos surfaced showing what transpired on the day of the rally, many framing the incident as the actor’s fault.
Against this backdrop, Tamil Nadu police registered cases against 25 people for spreading unverified, false, and defamatory content on social media. On Monday, 29 September, three people were arrested: TVK members Sivanesan and Sarathkumar, and BJP member Sagayam.
The next morning, YouTube journalist Felix Gerald was arrested. He was released on conditional bail on Wednesday, 1 October.
Hours after Gerald was arrested, Vijay released the video message, suggesting that the entire episode was a conspiracy, hinting that Chief Minister Stalin was behind it.
What raised eyebrows, however, was that neither Stalin nor his party colleagues countered Vijay, nor blamed the actor-politician or TVK in any press statement. No case was registered against Vijay either.
To date, cases have been registered against key leaders, TVK general secretary N Anand, and the IT wing CTR. Nirmal Kumar, Karur West secretary Madhiyazhagan, and Paunraj. A separate case was registered against TVK’s election wing secretary Adhav Arjuna for a provoking X post, which he deleted later.
Writer and political activist Aadhavan Deetchanya, a long-time defender of democratic rights, accused Vijay of strategic silence.
“People went to see Vijay the actor in Karur. But despite the magnitude of the tragedy, he stayed silent for two whole days. It was not hesitation — it was a calculated move to assess who would publicly stand by him, before carefully crafting his narrative,” he told South First.
“By refusing to take any responsibility and by blaming others, Vijay has engaged in a deliberate narrative-building exercise,” he added.
During those two days of Vijay’s silence, only the BJP, AIADMK, and a few other leaders openly supported Vijay. “Had they not expressed solidarity, his silence might have continued for several more days,” Deetchanya argued.
“During those first two days, the narrative was being set. Leaders like K Annamalai, Nainar Nagendran, and Edappadi Palaniswami — not Vijay — found fault with the government. Once Vijay saw that backing, he gained confidence to speak. But when he did, even his choice of words was telling,” Deetchanya pointed out.
The political analyst then pointed at Vijay’s choice of words: ‘We campaigned at the place given to us.’ It subtly reinforced the pre-set narrative that the government had deliberately provided an inadequate venue.
“In reality, TVK had requested a particular ground, and the administration provided what was deemed suitable. The word ‘given’ suggests an imposed constraint, which feeds into the narrative of a government conspiracy. It was a carefully calculated statement,” Deetchanya said.
Deetchanya further alleged that the pro-Vijay propaganda of the past two days followed a classic RSS playbook.
“In one video, Felix claimed that 19 people were stabbed — without a shred of evidence. Another said the victims were poisoned. Yet another suggested that the deceased might not even have been present at the rally. This is a textbook RSS tactic — turning victims into culprits, and culprits into victims. It’s the same propaganda style used since Gandhi’s assassination to justify Nathuram Godse,” he explained.
He insisted that the Tamil Nadu government must declare Vijay the primary culprit. “This tragedy stems from Vijay’s arrogance, negligence, and reckless disregard for responsibility. He believed his fans would never question him, no matter what. That mindset caused 41 deaths. He must be named the prime accused,” Deetchanya said.
But a natural question arises: Why has neither the Tamil Nadu government nor the chief minister mentioned Vijay’s name? And why, despite the scale of the tragedy, has no case yet been filed against him?
“Vijay has built an image that anything DMK does against him is out of fear. Perhaps the government hesitates, worrying that action might backfire. But, for example, you can’t arrest the operator and let the owner go scot-free when a crime happens in a theatre. The responsibility lies with Vijay, the leader,” Deetchanya explained.
Deetchanya cited the case of actor Allu Arjun in Telangana. “When a woman was killed during the Pushpa 2 promotional event, Allu Arjun was booked, arrested, and jailed. If the neighbouring state can act so decisively, why shouldn’t Tamil Nadu hold Vijay accountable?” he wondered.
Deetchanya compared Vijay’s propaganda to Nazi methods.
“The Nazis didn’t spread lies for people to believe them outright. They spread so many lies that when the truth eventually surfaced, people were left confused, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood. This confusion was their goal. That is exactly what Vijay is doing. He takes any narrative, whether favourable or hostile, and spins it in such a way that truth itself gets blurred,” he said.
For the past two days, he added, that confusion has been deliberately engineered. “Even if tomorrow’s inquiry report reveals the truth, this orchestrated online campaign has already primed people to dismiss it as false.”
Retired Superintendent of Police (Security Branch) M Karunanidhi explained the legal process:
“At present, only an FIR has been filed. In it, those who formally sought permission to hold the rally and signed the conditions of approval will be named. As the investigation progresses, those found to have committed lapses or violations will be added as accused. That is the standard procedure,” he explained.
He elaborated the process further. “A sudden crowd surge and jostling triggered the stampede. Something must have acted as the trigger — and that can only be determined through the inquiry. Based on those findings, responsibility will be fixed and additional accused may be included,” he added.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
