Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay, on Monday, March 9, has sought 15 days’ time from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to appear for the third round of questioning in connection with the Karur stampede case. He has also requested that the probe be conducted in Chennai or another location in Tamil Nadu instead of New Delhi.
Vijay’s request came after he received fresh summons from the CBI asking him to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for further questioning. Sources confirmed that Vijay informed the agency he would be unable to travel to Delhi at present due to election-related commitments and other personal reasons.
The actor-politician was earlier questioned by the CBI on January 12 and January 19 as part of the investigation. According to sources, the agency has gathered material during the earlier rounds of questioning that requires further clarification from him.
The latest summons comes amid speculation that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been approaching TVK for possible alliance talks ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
A senior TVK leader told TNM that while several political parties, including the AIADMK, had reached out to the party in the past, its position remained unchanged. “Our stance has remained the same and there is no change in it,” the leader said.
The CBI probe relates to the Karur stampede that occurred in Velusamypuram in Karur town on September 27 last year, in which 41 people, including nine children, were killed.
Thousands of TVK cadre and Vijay’s fans had gathered for a public meeting and had reportedly waited for more than six hours past Vijay’s scheduled arrival time. The TVK leader, who was on a statewide campaign tour, was expected to arrive from Namakkal at around 12.45 pm but reached the venue only around 7 pm.
As crowds surged when Vijay finally arrived, panic broke out among the large gathering. Many people reportedly collapsed in the crush, triggering chaos at the venue. Ambulances rushed to the scene while police struggled to regain control of the crowd.
The death toll eventually rose to 41, making it one of the deadliest stampede incidents in the state in recent years. The CBI later took over the investigation and has since questioned several TVK leaders and government officials, including the Karur district collector, Superintendent of Police Jose Thangaya and multiple revenue officials.
