Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Vijay, chief and actor, faces scrutiny from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi, which interrogated him for six hours on Monday, January 19, 2026. The star-turned-politician faces another round of questioning as a result of the tragic, fatal Karur stampede in September 2025, resulting in the killing of 41 people. Vijay arrived at the headquarters of CBI around 10:30 a.m. in a fleet of luxury SUVs, with a high level of security watching and a large throng of supporters in tow. Six hours and more, the authorities zeroed in on certain key aspects of the rally:
7-Hour Delay
Officials asked why Vijay had arrived so late at the venue--police officers later said that it had packed in people waiting in a crowd since noon, filling the arena with sweltering sun and causing further confusion and rippling chaos.
Decisions
CBI reviewed the planning process of events, protocols for managing crowds and why the speech continued even after mounting confusion.
Emergency Response
There were accusations that ambulances were blocked off, and there was an inadequate plan for evacuation.
Vijay Claims "Poor Police Deployment"
Sources near to the timeline reported that Vijay declined to concede that there is concern that the questioning constituted organisational negligence. Then again, according to reports, the TVK chief blamed the state administration and the police. His tragedy was supposed to be “due to poor police deployment” and local officials made no adjustments to control the mass even though they knew full well how threatening it was, he said.
The TVK had earlier accused the DMK-led government of creating this conspiracy by refusing to allow access to a larger, safer venue and failing to provide security. Vijay said he had just left the scene to put an end to violence, at direction from his security staff. The aftermath of a political disaster and the rule of law and procedure.
The question of the Karur stampede was handed to the CBI by the Supreme Court in October 2025, after it raised concerns about the neutrality of the state-police’s preliminary inquiry into the incident. Ajay Rastogi, a former Supreme Court judge, heads a three-man monitoring committee responsible for overseeing the case now. But the interrogation has further added to the political bickering between DMK on the one hand and Vijay’s new TVK on the other.
Amongst the DMK, supporters insisted that the fatalities were the result of ‘unprofessional delay’ by Vijay, and viewed the CBI summons as intended to intimidate the actor ahead of assembly elections in 2026. Vijay's comments are being scrutinized by the CBI against statements of others by police, and sources suggest that he will step forward in order to receive further guidance if any points become inconsistent. The court battle has cast an extensive shadow over Vijay’s political ambitions.
