Karur Stampede: Viral Video of Vijay Happily Greeting Airport Staff Predates Tragedy

At least 41 people were killed and several others injured in a stampede during Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay’s rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu on Saturday (September 27, 2025). 

Soon after, a video of actor-turned-politician Vijay happily greeting airport staff went viral, with users suggesting it showed him indifferent to the tragedy. This video sparked outrage on social media, as people believed it was recorded after the stampede.

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• A Google Lens search on the keyframes traced the video to a Facebook post by Zee News Tamil, dated September 21, 2025. It featured a shorter version of the same footage to show Vijay returning to Chennai after a campaign tour.
  
• The X handle @ActorVijayTeam, too, shared the same footage of  the actor-turned-politician on September 20, 2025, confirming it predates the tragedy. 

• Multiple other social media users liked this, this and this had shared the viral footage on September 20- 21, 2025. 

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Also, reacting to the tragedy, Vijay publicly expressed grief on social media, announcing ₹20 lakh in ex-gratia for families of the deceased and ₹2 lakh for the injured. The TVK  has reached the Madras high court seeking an independent investigation into the stampede.

Q1: Was the viral video of Vijay recorded after the Karur stampede?
No. The video was originally shared on September 20–21, 2025, days before the stampede.

Q2: What actions did TVK take after the stampede?
Vijay announced ₹20 lakh in ex-gratia for families of the deceased and ₹2 lakh for the injured. TVK approached the Madras high court requesting an independent investigation into the Karur stampede.

Q3: How can misleading viral videos be verified?
Tools like Google Lens and reverse image searches can trace the original upload date of videos and images to fact-check claims.

Sources
Facebook Post By Zee News Tamil, Dated September 21, 2025
X Post By @ActorVijayTeam, Dated September 20, 2025