Stampede At Vijay's TVK Rally: Tamil YouTuber Felix Gerald, 2 TVK Workers Arrested Over Karur Tragedy

In a significant development following the tragic stampede in Karur, the police have made a series of arrests, including that of YouTuber Felix Gerald and key functionaries of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party.

Felix Gerald, who operates the 'RedPix' YouTube channel, was taken into custody in Chennai. Authorities stated his arrest was connected to the uploading of fake content related to the stampede incident. This is not Gerald's first legal trouble; he was previously arrested and had the stringent Goondas Act invoked against him for allegedly making derogatory remarks against women police officers.

Although the Madras High Court had subsequently granted him bail in that case, it had also ordered the shutdown of his 'RedPix 24x7' YouTube channel.

Simultaneously, the Karur City Police arrested TVK's Karur West District Secretary, Mathiyazhagan, and a party worker named Pownraj. According to ADGP Davidson Devasirvatham, Pownraj was arrested for providing shelter to Mathiyazhagan. Pownraj was also identified as the individual who arranged the flagpoles and flex banners for the party's campaign event.

The arrests are part of a broader police action against those allegedly responsible for the stampede and those spreading inflammatory content online. Cases have been registered under multiple sections, including causing danger to human life, against several TVK functionaries, including General Secretary Anand and Joint General Secretary Nirmalkumar. Police reports indicate that Anand is currently incommunicado.

In a parallel crackdown on misinformation, law enforcement has registered cases against 25 individuals for posting inflammatory social media content concerning the stampede, which claimed 41 lives and injured over 60 during a campaign for actor-politician Vijay's TVK party. Three men-Sagayam (linked to the BJP), Sivanesan (TVK), and Sarathkumar (a TVK social media administrator)-have already been arrested for spreading rumours online. Officials stated this action was necessary as the content threatened to disrupt public peace and inflame tensions.

The investigation into the stampede itself has been escalated, with Additional Superintendent Premanand now leading the probe, replacing the initial investigating officer. Meanwhile, security has been intensified around TVK chief Vijay's residence in Neelankarai, with police restricting access to the area for outsiders and even regular walkers, citing heightened security concerns.