Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) functionary CTR Nirmal Kumar, the party's deputy general secretary, has been arrested for posting scathing and derogatory remarks against a Madras High Court judge on social media. The comments targeted the judge's recent observations in the probe into the tragic September 27 rally that claimed 41 lives, including women and children, turning what was meant to be a triumphant political event into a national tragedy. A local court swiftly remanded the 42-year-old leader to judicial custody for two weeks, as police deepen their investigation into the inflammatory post that included a mocking photograph of the judge.
Senior police officials confirmed the arrest stating, "Yes, we have arrested and got him under remand. Investigation is going on." Authorities allege that Nirmal Kumar's outburst was a direct response to the High Court's stinging criticism of TVK chief and superstar Vijay for failing to visit grieving families and "abandoning" the victims post-disaster. The court, in a landmark order on October 3, 2025, constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Inspector General Asra Garg to unearth the lapses behind the deadly crowd crush at Velusamypuram on the Karur-Erode highway.
The party, which launched Vijay's political foray in October 2023, petitioned the Supreme Court challenging the Madras HC's "politically damaging" remarks and demanded a CBI probe over the SIT, labeling the tragedy a "ruling DMK conspiracy." Nirmal Kumar's arrest marks the third for the outfit, following the earlier detentions of Karur West District Secretary V.P. Mathiyazhagan—who had secured police nod for the rally—and Central Town Secretary M.C. Ponuraj, both remanded to Trichy Central Jail for alleged safety violations.
The noose tightens on other TVK heavyweights. Police have mobilized three special teams to hunt down General Secretary N. Anand alias 'Bussy' Anand and intensify efforts against Nirmal Kumar's co-accused, after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court dismissed their anticipatory bail pleas on October 3. The duo faces charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, with cops pinning the blame on deliberate delays, ignored warnings, and unauthorized extensions of the event. Tamil Nadu Minister Durai Murugan, however, drew a line on Vijay himself, asserting on October 4 that no arrest would occur without "concrete evidence," amid swirling rumors and 'Arrest Vijay' posters plastered across Karur streets by activist groups.
Outrage simmers in Karur, where Chief Minister M.K. Stalin rushed to hospitals in the dead of night to console families, pledging aid and vowing accountability based on a parallel inquiry by retired Justice Aruna Jagadeesan. TVK counters that police "failed miserably" in crowd control, alleging infiltrators hurled slippers and weapons at Vijay, sparking the panic. Vijay, yet to set foot in the bereaved town, issued a video plea to CM Stalin: "Target me, not my cadre," while urging an impartial probe. Deputy General Secretary Nirmal Kumar, before his digital tirade, echoed calls for fairness, but his posts crossed into contempt territory, igniting this latest firestorm.
As the SIT digs deeper—now with all FIR documents transferred to Chennai—the Karur carnage exposes raw fault lines in Tamil Nadu's polarized politics. For TVK, a fledgling force eyeing 2026 assembly polls, the scandal threatens to derail Vijay's star-powered ascent, forcing soul-searching on rally logistics and fan fervor. Families of the fallen, meanwhile, demand not just justice but systemic safeguards: wider venues, real-time monitoring, and bans on hype-driven delays. In a state where cinema and politics blur, this tragedy serves as a grim reminder that unchecked adulation can turn deadly, leaving a community to mourn while the courts chase truth amid the blame game.
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