- Vijay 'deliberately' delayed his arrival in Karur which led to the crowd swelling, police said
- The bus carrying Vijay, the cops said, made unscheduled stops, a 'roadshow' for which no permission was sought
- TVK leaders allegedly also ignored police warnings about inadequate facilities for the large crowd
A 'deliberate display of political power' by actor and TVK chief Vijay led to the death of 41 people at the stampede in Tamil Nadu's Karur Sunday evening, the police said in a FIR accessed by NDTV.
The FIR said the rally was to start at 9 am and by 11 am a large crowd had gathered.
According to the cops Vijay was scheduled to speak at noon, but he turned up only at 7 pm - four hours after they were told he would reach - having delayed his arrival to build 'unnecessary expectations'.
The bus carrying Vijay, the cops said, made multiple unscheduled stops, a de facto roadshow for which no permission was sought, and TVK leaders, including the actor and senior figure N 'Bussy' Anand, an ex-Puducherry MLA, ignored warnings about the lack of food, water, and facilities for the crowd.
The campaign bus' frequent, and unplanned, stops also disrupted traffic, the police said.
The FIR referenced one of the several tragedies that unfolded Sunday evening; it said TVK workers broke police barriers - set up to control the crowd and prevent disasters such as the stampede - climbed on the tin roof of a shed, presumably to catch a glimpse of the actor.
The police said they had been notified of a crowd of 10,000, but over 25,000 turned up.
Unfortunately, the roof collapsed and the TVK workers were killed.
Political Spat Over Karur Stampede
The stampede has led to a political row between the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which will make its electoral debut in next year's Assembly election.
The TVK has blamed the stampede on a 'conspiracy' orchestrated by the DMK.
READ | Vijay's Conspiracy Charge At DMK Amid Stampede Row, And A CBI Demand
The party's lawyer told NDTV a petition had been filed asking the Madras High Court to either set up a special team to investigate the stampede or transfer the case to the CBI, a federal agency.
"There was a conspiracy, a criminal conspiracy in the incident at Karur..." the lawyer, Arivazhagan, declared, trashing the DMK's claim the TVK violated crowd safety guidelines.
Women and children were among the 41 killed in the Karur stampede.
"We didn't violate conditions imposed by the police," he said, pointing to rallies at Madurai, Trichy, Ariyalur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Namakkal that were held without incident.
The DMK has refrained from commenting on the conspiracy charge. Dr Syed Hafeezullah, the party's spokesperson, told NDTV, "We don't want to politicise this. The law will take its course. Those who level such allegations should first introspect how their party leadership behaved."
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin made an appeal for peace and calm this morning.
கரூரில் நடந்துள்ள துயரம் குறித்து சமூக வலைத்தளங்களில் அவதூறுகளையும் - வதந்திகளையும் பரப்ப வேண்டாம்.
— M.K.Stalin - தமிழ்நாட்டை தலைகுனிய விடமாட்டேன் (@mkstalin) September 29, 2025
அனைவரும் பொறுப்புடன் நடந்துகொள்ள வேண்டும்.#KarurTragedy pic.twitter.com/Ihum9qIWNY
In a video statement on X, he cautioned people against believing rumours. "Do not spread defamation and rumours on social media about Karur... everyone must behave responsibly."
TVK Vs Tamil Nadu Cops
Vijay's TVK has also hit out at the police over its handling of the stampede.
Party leader Aadhav Arjun filed a petition in the Madras High Court, repeating allegations of a 'political conspiracy by the DMK' and demanding the inquiry be handed to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
READ | 'Sabotage': TVK Goes To Madras High Court Over Vijay Rally Stampedey
He claimed the electricity supply was turned off in the middle of VIjay's speech, creating panic that "anti-social elements (which had) infiltrated the crowd" exploited by throwing stones. He also claimed ambulances were driven into the crowd and the police resorted to a lathi charge, which triggered chaos.
On the electricity supply claim, the Electricity Department said power supply was uninterrupted but the TVK had arranged for generators and focus lights, and these were disrupted as the crowd surged.
On Sunday night, in the hours immediately after the stampede, the police rejected claims it had failed to control the crowd despite 500 personnel having been deployed to the rally site.
"The Karur event was categorised as high-risk. We deployed 500 personnel in the ratio of one cop for every 50 people, anticipating 25,000 people. Ultimately nearly 27,000 people turned up," Davidson Devasirvatham, the Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order), said.
READ | '1 Cop For 50 People': Tamil Nadu Police On Karur Rally Deployment
The top cop also pointed out a recent rally in Karur by AIADMK chief Edappadi Palaniswami had no problem, despite only 137 personnel having been deployed, because it was an "orderly crowd".
However, he admitted the situation was chaotic on Sunday. "... we couldn't even move the injured through the crowd. Even Vijay himself could not be taken out," Devasirvatham said.
Financial Compensation
The dead include 18 women and 10 children.
The families of the 41 who were killed will receive financial compensation - Rs 10 lakh each from the state government and Rs 20 lakh each from the TVK, as well as Rs 2 lakh per family from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, which is also prepping for next year's election.
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