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Watchful and wary

THE WEEK India

October 12, 2025

The Karur tragedy has political parties, including the ruling DMK, making cautious moves

- BY LAKSHMI SUBRAMANIAN

In the three days after the stampede at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay's rally in Karur left 41 dead and many injured, social media have been awash with videos, reels, and messages declaring, “Vijayna (elder brother Vijay) is innocent.” The hashtag #WeStandWithVijay went viral a day after the incident.

The tragedy has left political parties, including national parties, playing it safe. The BJP is assessing the situation and, as it is the hometown of former state party chief K. Annamalai, it wants to turn public opinion against the ruling DMK. The DMK, on the other hand, has avoided confrontation by adopting a cautious stance. Vijay himself has been cautious: apart from his late-night X post after the September 26 tragedy, he released a video on the same platform on September 30 afternoon, in which he explained why the rally was held on the road. He requested the chief minister not to go after his party functionaries, and added that he would be visiting the injured at the earliest.

This story is from the October 12, 2025 edition of THE WEEK India.

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