NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked actor-turned-politician and chief of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Vijay (the mononym by which Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar is better known), to appear before the investigating officer for questioning on January 19 in connection with the Karur stampede, people familiar with the development said.
Vijay was questioned for the first time in this case on Monday, when he arrived at the agency headquarters in Delhi at 11:30am. He emerged from the CBI building almost seven hours later at 6:15pm.
At the time, Vijay asked the agency to avoid summoning him again this week due to the Pongal festival. Officials said the decision to summon him next week was taken to accommodate his request.
CBI is investigating the stampede that occurred on September 27, 2025, in Karur district, Tamil Nadu, during a political rally organised by TVK. The event, which drew a massive crowd at the designated venue, turned chaotic, resulting in the deaths of at least 41 people and injuring many others.
During his questioning on January 12, Vijay was asked about the event’s permission, crowd-management arrangements, security measures, and why he reached the rally venue several hours later than he was supposed to.
The CBI took over the probe from a special investigation team (SIT) of the state police on October 26, following a Supreme Court order on a petition filed by the TVK seeking an independent probe into the incident.
The court also set up a three-member supervisory committee headed by former apex court judge Ajay Rastogi to monitor the CBI probe.
The Tamil Nadu government filed an affidavit in the top court in December, seeking that the bench recall its order for a CBI probe and allow the probe to continue under the special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the Madras High Court.