DELHI/CHENNAI: TVK president Vijay told CBI on Monday that poor crowd management by police at his Karur campaign event led to the stampede that killed 41 people on Sept 27, 2025, sources close to the leader said.Appearing before investigators in New Delhi in connection with the incident, Vijay said inadequate police deployment and failure to clear road bottlenecks delayed access to the venue, contributing to congestion, TVK sources said. He told the officers he left the venue to prevent the situation from worsening.The investigators had asked Vijay to narrate the sequence of events and respond to 35 questions, apart from follow-up queries. Vijay denied allegations against him, describing them as a conspiracy targeting him and his party, the sources said. During the questioning that lasted for about seven hours, Vijay was asked about the crowd density, the footfalls he had expected and if police resorted to lathi charge during the rally.Vijay reached the CBI office around 11.30am and left the place around 6.30pm. Police stepped up security around the place after his fans gathered outside during his arrival. The actor is likely to be summoned again on a different date. The investigating officer sought his presence for another round on Tuesday, but Vijay sought an exemption, citing Pongal celebrations, which was granted. He may be summoned again after the festival. Vijay is scheduled to return to Chennai on Tuesday.On the same day, CBI also summoned DGP (armed police) Davidson Devasirvatham and central zone IG Joshi Nirmal Kumar.Earlier, CBI examined Karur collector M Thangavel, SP K Josh Thangiah, as well as TVK functionaries, including general secretary N Anand, C T R Nirmal Kumar and Karur district secretary Mathiazhagan. CBI took over the probe from a special investigation team following a Supreme Court order on a petition filed by TVK seeking an independent inquiry.The CBI probe has compounded the woes of Vijay. While his latest film ‘Jana Nayagan’ touted to be his last, has been stuck due to delay in Central Board of Film Certification giving its clearance, his party TVK continues to be friendless. Though he offered to share power with allies, no political party has allied with him yet.Political analyst R Chandrasekaran said the Erode conference in Dec, briefly restored momentum within the party. However, activities at the party headquarters have slowed down since then, with no major announcements or mobilisation exercises.“Absence of Vijay has limited the party’s reach and visibility,” he said.
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