In the three days after the stampede at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay’s rally in Karur left 41 dead and many injured, social media have been awash with videos, reels, and messages declaring, “Vijayna (elder brother Vijay) is innocent.” The hashtag #WeStandWithVijay went viral a day after the incident.
The tragedy has left political parties, including national parties, playing it safe. The BJP is assessing the situation and, as it is the hometown of former state party chief K. Annamalai, it wants to turn public opinion against the ruling DMK. The DMK, on the other hand, has avoided confrontation by adopting a cautious stance. Vijay himself has been cautious: apart from his late-night X post after the September 26 tragedy, he released a video on the same platform on September 30 afternoon, in which he explained why the rally was held on the road. He requested the chief minister not to go after his party functionaries, and added that he would be visiting the injured at the earliest.
Within three hours of the tragedy, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was on the ground in Karur. He visited the site, met victims’ families at the hospital, and called up ministers. Health Minister Ma. Subramanian and Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, who is in charge of Karur district, ensured that all arrangements were in place. More than 50 doctors, including 20 postgraduate doctors, were mobilised to conduct postmortem, while staff at the new Karur Medical College Hospital worked tirelessly to treat the injured.
The following day, Stalin released a video message, saying “no political leader would ever wish for their followers or innocent civilians to die”. He urged the public to ignore malicious rumours as a one-member judicial inquiry under Justice (retd) Aruna Jagadeesan proceeded. The carefully-pitched statement was read as an attempt to blunt criticism of the DMK.
A still from Vijay’s video message released on September 30 | X@TVKVijayHQ
“The more the DMK reacts, the more the issue get diluted,” said academic Pichandy Chinnasamy, who has studied mass rallies in Tamil Nadu since the Annadurai era. “The government is already getting bad publicity. So the DMK is very cautious. The matter is sub judice, and the law will take its own course.”
Even if Vijay is at fault, his popularity has shielded him from public anger. So the government has not named Vijay in the first information report, or even Vijay’s close aide and TVK general secretary Aadhav Arjuna.
Public perception of the DMK took a hit on social media. Videos of Anbil Mahesh weeping over dead children have been mocked. Party insiders say they are dealing with a new kind of “politically inexperienced monster with a monstrous mob”. Despite major lapses by the TVK, Vijay’s image remains unscathed, much to the DMK’s surprise.
The FIR, accessed by THE WEEK, names three TVK leaders: district secretary Mathiyalagan—already arrested and questioned—state general secretary “Bussy” N. Anand, and deputy general secretary Nirmal Kumar. Anand and Nirmal Kumar have sought anticipatory bail.
Sources say TVK leaders such as Aadhav Arjuna have reached out to the Centre to ensure that the case is transferred to the CBI. Arjuna, who has been accompanying Vijay in the campaign bus, had posted in Tamil on X on September 30: “A youth-led revolution is the only solution. ‘Gen Z’ revolted in Sri Lanka [and] Nepal against the ruling government. Here also the youth will lead a revolution. That revolution is going to be the reason for a change in the government. Under a wicked ruler even the laws turn wicked.” This was in response to the cases filed against 25 people, including YouTubers and TVK digital workers, for “provocative” online content. The post was deleted after it triggered a row.
The AIADMK wants to ensure that the DMK administration is held responsible for the stampede. It is spreading a narrative that the DMK’s Karur strongman and former minister V. Senthil Balaji orchestrated the tragedy. “This was Senthil Balaji’s doing. The DMK must be erased from the history of the state. Why did this happen here alone, and not in Trichy and Nagapattinam, where also he drew huge crowds?” asked Kulanthaivelu, a relative of Prithvik, a boy who died.
The TVK has faltered in its response. Lacking experienced leaders, it has neither responded positively nor reached out to the families of victims. Vijay, who reportedly waited at the Trichy-Karur highway after the tragedy before flying to Chennai, ignored journalists’ questions about the deaths. Even as other parties capitalise on the crisis, the TVK—inexperienced and under pressure—has sought anticipatory bails and petitioned the courts for a CBI probe. Arjuna has moved the Madras High Court, demanding that Vijay be allowed to visit the bereaved families. “The TVK will never instigate violence,” said a source close to Vijay.
The BJP has formed an eight-member committee, headed by Lok Sabha MP and actor Hema Malini, to inquire into the reasons that led to tragedy. BJP leaders who visited Karur include Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former minister Anurag Thakur and South Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya.