Actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder Joseph Vijay appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi on Monday for questioning in connection with the Karur stampede case that claimed 41 lives during a political rally on September 27, 2025.
The CBI issued a summons to Vijay on 6 January, directing him to present himself on January 12 at the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi as part of the Supreme Court-monitored investigation into one of Tamil Nadu’s deadliest political rally tragedies.
According to reports, Joseph travelled from Chennai to New Delhi on a chartered flight.
The central agency has already questioned several TVK office-bearers and, following its decision to examine Vijay himself.
The Karur stampede occurred on 27 September 2025, when a rally addressed by Vijay in Velusamypuram, along the Karur–Erode Highway, turned chaotic, resulting in the deaths of at least 41 people, including 18 women and 10 children. The tragedy has drawn intense public and judicial scrutiny.
It is learnt that the CBI has questioned several senior police officials from Karur district, including District Magistrate M. Thangavel and Superintendent of Police K. Jose Thangaiah.
The CBI took over the probe from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) following a Supreme Court order that underscored the need for an independent and impartial inquiry into the incident.
The agency also issued summons to police officers and other personnel who were on duty or posted in different parts of Karur on the day of the rally. Traffic police personnel deployed to regulate the crowd during the event have also been asked to appear before investigators.
The CBI has been operating from the Circuit House in Karur, which has been designated as its temporary office since it took over the probe in October 2025.
In the weeks since the tragedy, Joseph Vijay met with families of the victims and announced compensation of ₹20 lakh each to the bereaved families, with TVK claiming that ₹20 lakh had been disbursed to 39 families, totalling approximately ₹7.8 crore.
The ongoing investigation by the CBI is examining issues related to crowd management, security arrangements and sequence of events leading to the deadly crush. TVK has attributed the tragedy to failures in police arrangements, while officials have pointed to prolonged crowding and delays on the day of the rally.
