Tamil Nadu Police have formed two special teams to trace N. Satish Kumar, the Namakkal district secretary of the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), who went underground after his bail plea was rejected by the Madras High Court.
Kumar has been booked for vandalism during TVK chief and actor-politician Vijay’s campaign stop in the district on September 27, hours before the deadly stampede in Karur.
According to police, thousands of TVK cadres had gathered in Namakkal town to welcome Vijay, leading to a chaotic situation. Some party workers allegedly climbed onto the signboard of a private dental hospital, causing it to collapse and shatter glass walls and CCTV cameras.
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The hospital management lodged a complaint at Namakkal Town police station, following which an FIR was filed against Kumar and other party leaders. He has been at large after the high court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
“Two dedicated teams are relentlessly pursuing Satish Kumar, and more arrests will follow. Public safety cannot be compromised for political events,” a senior officer said.
#WATCH | Karur, Tamil Nadu: Kishor Makwana, Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), today visited the site at Velusamy area in Karur, where the stampede occurred on the 27th. The District Collector accompanied him during the visit. pic.twitter.com/CaWfSE585G
— ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2025
According to reports, Vijay was scheduled to speak at Namakkal at 8.45 am and later at Karur’s Velusamypuram at 12.45 pm. However, the TVK chief reached Namakkal only at 2 pm, and after delivering the speech, proceeded to Karur around 3 pm.
The stampede, which claimed 41 lives and left over 100 injured, took place after the crowd swelled beyond expectation and surged uncontrollably on the actor's arrival.
Police have already arrested TVK Karur district secretary Mathiyazhagan for his alleged failure to enforce safety measures and control the crowd. |
