On 9 March 2026, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) issued fresh summons to actor and politician Vijay, the chief of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The agency directed him to appear for questioning on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
The inquiry is related to the Karur stampede, which took place on 27 September 2025 during Vijay’s political rally. The tragic incident resulted in 41 deaths and more than 60 injuries. Reports suggest that the CBI has gathered new evidence and requires further clarification from Vijay.
Earlier, Vijay was questioned by the agency at its New Delhi headquarters on 12 January and 19 January 2026. Meanwhile, his legal team has reportedly requested a 10-day extension from the CBI, citing his busy schedule with candidate finalisation for the upcoming 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and other personal legal matters.
The CBI took over the case from a state-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) following an order from the Supreme Court of India. The investigation is currently being monitored by a supervisory committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Ajay Rastogi.
The probe is mainly focused on crowd management failures and a seven-hour discrepancy in the event’s timeline. Investigators are examining whether the long delay between the scheduled start of the rally and Vijay’s actual arrival caused the crowd to swell from an expected 10,000 people to more than 30,000, eventually leading to the stampede.
