Fact Check: Karur rally stampede – Vijay’s portrait, TVK flagpole demolished? No, video is old
A video has been circulating online, claiming it shows a JCB demolishing a TVK flagpole and Vijay’s portrait on a wall following the fatal stampede at his rally on September 27.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows TVK’s flagpole being taken down along with Vijay’s portrait following the fatal stampede at the Karur rally on September 27.
Fact:The claim is misleading. The video has been online since at least January.
Hyderabad: On September 27, a tragic stampede occurred at a political rally for actor-politician Vijay. The incident that occurred in Karur district, Tamil Nadu, killed at least 40 people, including 10 minors, and injured around 100 others.
Against this backdrop, a video circulating on social media shows a JCB excavator beside a water tank demolishing a small concrete structure that featured a portrait of Vijay. The structure held a pole with the TVK party flag, and it was demolished too. Those sharing the video claim that the entire TVK party unit in Karur was dissolved following the deaths at Vijay’s rally. Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is Vijay’s political party
An X user shared the video with the caption, “After 6 people from the same village in Karur lost their lives, the entire TVK party unit in that village was dissolved. Even the party flagpole was taken down. Isn’t the DMK the reason behind this, you foolish kids?” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading, as the video has been online since at least January 2025.
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframe led to the same video uploaded to YouTube on January 26, stating that Vijay’s TVK flagpole was demolished using a JCB.
We also found images of the same demolition shared on X on January 26. While the post did not provide the context behind the demolition, it stated that such acts would lead to the ‘fall of the DMK and the rise of TVK’.
We also found the video published by ABP Nadu, the Tamil channel of ABP Network, on January 26. The media outlet reported that the TVK flagpole was knocked down using a JCB.
We could not find more details about the video or the demolition. However, we confirmed that the video has been online since at least January.
Therefore, we conclude that the claim that the video showing TVK’s flag and party chief Vijay’s photo being knocked down following the fatal stampede at his rally on September 27 is misleading.
