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Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay has written to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) requesting that any future inquiry related to the Karur stampede be conducted in Chennai or within Tamil Nadu, citing his commitments for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, which is scheduled on April 23.
In a letter addressed to the investigating officer dated March 14, Vijay said he had already appeared for questioning twice earlier in New Delhi on January 12 and January 19. The copy of the letter is also marked to Justice Ajay Rastogi, who has been appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the Karur stampede investigation.
“I have appeared for enquiries on two earlier occasions i.e. 12.01.2026 and 19.01.2026 in compliance of the respective notices for my appearance before the CBI office at New Delhi,” he wrote.
The actor-politician said he was later served with another notice dated March 5 asking him to appear before the agency in New Delhi on March 10. In response, he sought additional time and requested that the inquiry be conducted in Tamil Nadu.
“In my letter dated 08.03.2026, I requested a minimum of 10–15 days’ time for my appearance in the above subject matter enquiry and also requested permission to appear either in Chennai or at any place in Tamil Nadu, due to my personal inconvenience and my commitments and preoccupation with respect to the ensuing Assembly general election work,” he stated.
Despite this request, the Investigating Officer again asked him to appear in New Delhi on March 15.
Vijay said he complied with the notice and appeared for the probe. “As a law-abiding citizen, I shall appear for the enquiry on 15.03.2026 in Delhi as required, extending my sincere cooperation to the above enquiry,” he said.
On Sunday, March 15, CBI officials questioned Vijay for more than seven hours, and at around 6.30 pm he was allowed to leave. TVK sources told TNM that no fresh summons have been issued to Vijay, contrary to speculation in a section of the media.
Referring to the tragedy, the TVK chief said that he and members of his party were themselves victims of the incident. “Myself and members of my party are victims ourselves, and we are in unexplainable mental agony due to the loss of lives and injuries during the said Karur stampede, in spite of our genuine precautions and sincere efforts to manage the painful situation,” he wrote.
He reiterated his request that future questioning be conducted in Tamil Nadu and asked the CBI to accommodate him by holding any further inquiry in Chennai or any other place in the state.
The TVK chief added that he was currently engaged in selecting candidates, preparing the election manifesto, conducting party meetings and attending public events ahead of the Assembly polls.
The Karur probe took a political turn on Friday, March 13, when a Tamil Nadu minister alleged that the summons issued by the CBI to former DMK minister V Senthil Balaji were an attempt to intimidate the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
Senthil Balaji has been summoned by the agency in connection with the Karur stampede case. Confirming that he had received a notice asking him to appear on March 17, Balaji said he was surprised by the decision to summon him.