Karur: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Karur West district secretary V.P. Mathiyazhagan was arrested and booked for culpable homicide in connection with the deadly stampede at party president and actor Vijay’s rally on September 27, which claimed 39 lives.

The Karur Town police had registered a case against Mathiyazhagan on Saturday under sections 109, 110, 125B, and 223 of the BNS, citing alleged violations of safety norms during the campaign event held at Velysamupuram.

Chennai Police have registered cases against 25 individuals for allegedly posting inflammatory content on social media in the aftermath of the Karur stampede that occurred during a campaign rally held by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay. The posts are being investigated for their potential to incite unrest and disturb public peace, officials said. Arrests are expected in the coming days.

The stampede, which took place on September 27 at Velysamupuram in Karur, has so far claimed 41 lives, with the latest fatality being a 60-year-old woman, Suguna, who succumbed to her injuries on Sunday night.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the rally violated 11 safety conditions. The crowd reportedly swelled to over 25,000 — far beyond the permitted limit of 10,000. Vijay’s delayed arrival and an unauthorised roadshow further worsened the situation, causing restlessness among attendees. In a bid to catch a glimpse of the actor-politician, several people climbed trees and steel shelters, which later collapsed, triggering the deadly stampede.

The FIR also notes that police warnings about the unsafe conditions were ignored by the organisers. The event, originally permitted from 3 pm to 10 pm, was deliberately prolonged, leading to exhaustion, suffocation, and chaos among the attendees. Eleven people died at the venue, with dozens more hospitalised.