TVK chief Vijay receives bomb threat amid Karur stampede backlash

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Weeks after the Karur stampede in Tamil Nadu, a bomb threat was sent to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay's house in Neelankarai, Chennai, on Thursday.

According to a report by The Times of India, police have declared the threat a hoax and launched an investigation to trace the caller responsible. Law enforcement and bomb disposal teams swiftly responded to the scene, but after a thorough investigation, authorities confirmed that no explosive device was found on the property.

VIDEO | Neelankarai, Tamil Nadu: Bomb threat at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader Vijay's residence declared a hoax. Police launch hunt for the caller. #TamilNaduNews

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The threat came as Vijay faced mounting criticism over the tragic incident at the TVK rally, which claimed dozens of lives and left several others injured.

At least 41 people were killed and over 60 injured in the stampede during Vijay's rally in Karur on September 27. Police reported that the event drew around 27,000 attendees — nearly triple the expected turnout of 10,000 — and attributed the chaos in part to a seven-hour delay in Vijay’s arrival at the venue.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, Vijay’s political party approached the Supreme Court on Wednesday to challenge the Madras High Court’s order forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives. The apex court has agreed to hear the plea on Friday.

A bench of Chief Justice B. R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran acknowledged the submissions made by a lawyer requesting that the plea, filed through TVK secretary Aadhav Arjuna, be taken up for hearing.

TVK has sought an independent investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court, contending that a fair and impartial probe would not be possible if conducted solely by officers of the Tamil Nadu police, the report added.

Chennai sees spate of hoax bomb threats

Meanwhile, over the past week, Chennai has witnessed several bomb threat emails targeting high-profile locations, including the residences of Chief Minister MK Stalin, Governor RN Ravi, actress Trisha, SV Shekhar, actor-politician Vijay, and the BJP state headquarters Kamalalayam.

All the threats were later confirmed to be hoaxes. The emails triggered security sweeps by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), local police, and sniffer dog units, but no explosives were discovered. The cybercrime wing is investigating the origin of the emails, and cases have been registered under relevant laws.