Actor C. Joseph Vijay, president of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), has reportedly been left out of the First Information Report (FIR) regarding the recent Karur stampede, where 41 people tragically died. A litigant has now approached the Madras High Court, claiming this omission is politically motivated.
The petition, slated for hearing before Justice N. Senthilkumar on Friday, October 3, 2025, urges the court to prohibit the Home Secretary and Director General of Police from authorizing any further road shows until comprehensive guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for such public events are established.
P.H. Dinesh, a 44-year-old from Villivakkam, Chennai, filed an affidavit supporting his writ petition. In it, he squarely places the blame for the 41 deaths in Karur on TVK, attributing the tragedy to “careless planning and complete negligence by the organizers.”
Dinesh highlighted that attendees, eager to hear Mr. Vijay’s public speech at Velusamypuram in Karur, were under the impression he would arrive around noon. However, he didn’t appear until after 7 p.m., leaving a large crowd waiting for over seven hours.
He asserted that the prolonged delay, insufficient drinking water, and lack of crowd control barricades directly contributed to the fatalities. Furthermore, he noted that the situation escalated when the crowd surged forward attempting to catch water bottles thrown from Mr. Vijay’s caravan, resulting in more deaths and injuries.
While police filed an FIR naming TVK general secretary ‘Bussy’ Anand and deputy general secretary C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar among others, Mr. Vijay’s name was conspicuously absent. The affidavit explicitly states this omission was “purely for political reasons.”
The petitioner claims that the criminal proceedings against lower-ranking TVK leaders appear to be a mere “eye-wash.” To ensure a transparent and impartial investigation, he submitted a formal representation to both the Home Secretary and the DGP on September 30, 2025.
In his representation, Dinesh accused authorities of attempting to “shield” Mr. Vijay from criminal prosecution, despite his alleged direct responsibility for the deaths. He argued that such actions not only undermine the rule of law but also deny justice to the families of the 41 victims.
He further emphasized the urgent need for a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that would mandate police to conduct thorough risk assessments before approving public events. This SOP should also include strict limitations on crowd size, adherence to time schedules, and robust emergency evacuation protocols.
Ultimately, the litigant appealed to the court to direct the Home Secretary and DGP to promptly formulate these essential guidelines and SOPs, and to halt all permissions for political road shows until these safety measures are firmly in place.