In the aftermath of the stampede at actor-politician Vijay’s rally in Karur that killed 40 people, the Tamil Nadu government has moved with striking caution. It has opened criminal cases against second- and third-tier functionaries of Vijay’s fledgling party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), but stopped short of naming the superstar himself.

Top officials said the deliberate restraint is rooted in political calculations. Any immediate action against Vijay — arrest, interrogation, even a mention in the FIR — could risk sparking a sympathy wave for the state’s most bankable film idol, and play directly into the narrative that the ruling DMK is targeting a political rival.

Instead, the state has set up a one-woman commission, headed by retired High Court judge Aruna Jagadeesan, to investigat

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