Karur stampede: TVK leaders remanded to judicial custody till October 14

A local court in Karur, Tamil Nadu, has sent two functionaries of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to judicial custody until 14 October in connection with the stampede at party president and actor Vijay’s rally on 27 September. The tragic incident has so far claimed 41 lives. The court passed its judgment today.

The two TVK workers: Mathiyazhagan, the party’s Karur West District Secretary, and MC Paun Raj, a Karur town functionary, were brought to court by the Karur City Police after completing their medical examination. Both were involved in organising the rally, including setting up flagpoles and flex banners for Vijay’s campaign.

Mathiyazhagan was arrested on Monday, while the Karur police arrested MC Paun Raj today.


Speaking on behalf of TVK, advocate Manikandan said, “An FIR has been filed against three people – Karur District Secretary and two others. On behalf of TVK, we have argued that permission was obtained according to the law and the meeting was conducted legally. The police failed to provide sufficient security for the assembly. We had informed them that around 10,000 people were expected.”

He added, “One meeting was cancelled on police advice. They could have warned us that the crowd could become uncontrollable. The judge has said action will be taken according to the law. Bail applications can be filed, and further steps will follow legal procedures. Fourteen-day judicial custody has been granted.”

In a related development, the Chennai police arrested YouTuber Felix Gerald for allegedly spreading disinformation about the stampede on his channel.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh stated that strict action will be taken against all those found responsible. “An inquiry commission headed by a retired judge has been formed. If lapses are found, strict action will be taken against those responsible,” he told reporters.

The Karur rally tragedy has sparked widespread concern across the state, with questions raised over crowd management and safety measures at political events.

Inputs from agencies