TVK chief Vijay was questioned by the CBI for over seven hours on Sunday in connection with the tragic Karur stampede case. This isthe third round of questioning
of the popular actor-turned-politician. After the questioning, Vijay stood through the sunroof of an SUV and waved at his fans and the media but did not answer any questions. On whether fresh summons would be issued, officials said, “We will go through Vijay’s statement recorded today and decide after examining the materials and contradictions, if any.” Vijay had left Chennai on Sunday evening and reached the CBI headquarters at around 10.15 am. Like on the previous two occasions, his questioning was carried out by a DSP-rank official of the AC-2 unit of the CBI on the tenth floor of the headquarters in New Delhi.
Last week, TVK chief Vijay had expressed his inability to join the probe and, through his legal representatives, sought a fifteen-day exemption. He also requested that his questioning be carried out at the CBI’s zonal office. However, both his requests were rejected and the CBI asked him to join the probe on Sunday.
On September 27, 2025, a stampede occurred during a political rally organised by TVK in Karur, resulting in the death of 41 people and injuries to more than 100 others. At the direction of the Supreme Court, the CBI re-registered the Karur stampede case and has been probing it.
Popular actor-turned-politician Vijay was last questioned by the CBI in the case in January. Sources said that, like his party leaders earlier, he maintained that the number of policemen deployed at the venue was “fairly insufficient” to control the huge crowd that had gathered.
“Vijay has denied that he continued his speech even after the stampede began. He told investigators that he immediately stopped the speech,” sources said.
New summons were issued after examining Vijay’s previous statements and questioning several senior police officers and officials. TVK and its chief have blamed “poor police deployment” and “lax arrangements” for the
stampede.
When Vijay was last questioned, he was given a booklet containing over 93 questions. These questions were sequential in nature and included detailed queries leading up to the stampede, officials said.
He was also asked who in his party had sought permission for the event and what assurances the party had given regarding crowd management and police deployment, sources said.
His party leaders, who were examined earlier by the CBI, shared their correspondence with the police regarding the Karur political rally.
While Vijay has firmly denied that TVK was responsible for the stampede, Tamil Nadu police officers who recorded statements earlier have contradicted him and his party leaders.
“Police officers who recorded their statements have claimed that the TVK party did not inform the Karur administration about the expected large turnout. The crowd reportedly swelled from 10,000 to 30,000,” sources said. Tamil Nadu police officers who deposed before the CBI claimed that this surge could have triggered the stampede.
“Both TVK and Vijay have maintained that the lack of basic arrangements and the insufficient number of police personnel at the venue were the probable causes of the stampede,” sources said.
