Karur Stampede: Tamil Nadu CM warns against fake news on social media; Vijay's party seeks CBI probe

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday urged people not to spread disinformation on social media over the Karur tragedy that claimed the lives of 40 people amid a stampede at actor-politician Vijay’s rally, who was campaigning for the upcoming election on Saturday (September 27, 2025).

In a video message, he said," A Lot of disinformation is circulating on social media regarding the Karur tragedy. Irrespective of party affiliations, those who died are our Tamil people." He also stressed collective responsibility to prevent such incidents and said guidelines will be framed to conduct such events/gatherings after a retired judge-led panel submits its report.

“In this hour of grief, let us avoid such irresponsible posts. Once the Govt-appointed committee Retired Judge's report is out, we will formulate guidelines on how to conduct such events/gatherings. It is our Collective duty to ensure that such incidents don't recur,” he added.

Meanwhile, Vijay Thalapathy’s party, Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), questioned the overnight postmortem of 39 bodies, raising concerns about the number of qualified doctors, the haste in conducting procedures, and why many were performed after 6 PM, outside usual practice hours.

Vijay's TVK seeks CBI probe into ‘Karur Stampede’

The Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has requested the Madras High Court transfer the probe of the Karur tragedy to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing concerns over the impartiality of the Tamil Nadu Police. A plea was filed by Aadhav Arjuna, General Secretary of TVK’s Election Campaign Management, accusing the state government and police of acting in a partisan manner, according to a report in News 18.

The petition alleges that TVK rallies were assigned cramped and inappropriate venues, the power supply was repeatedly cut during events, and miscreants infiltrated the Karur rally, pelting stones and slippers at actor-politician Vijay and the crowd.

It further claims that police lathi-charged innocent participants, while ambulances without patients fuelled panic, leading to the stampede that killed 41 people, including nine children, on Saturday. The plea seeks a CBI investigation for impartiality, the seizure of CCTV footage from around the rally site, and an interim order permitting Vijay and party members to meet victims and their families without hindrance.