Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and Tamil actor Thalapathy Vijay held a rally in Madurai, where his bouncers manhandled a man. A video of his bouncers throwing the man off the stage has gone viral on social media. The Tamil Nadu Police have booked Vijay and 10 others following the August 22 incident.
The case was filed at the Perambalur District Superintendent of Police’s office by the victim, Sarathkumar. He alleged that Vijay’s security staff pushed him off the stage during the rally. Police have filed an FIR against Vijay and his team under three sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Video evidence surfaces
A video from the rally showed Vijay’s bouncers throwing a man off the stage while the actor, in the background, appealed for calm.
WHEN A FILM STAR FORGETS that he needs to be among the people when he seeks to represent them.
Netas cannot be above the people. Is this bouncer a metaphor for contempt? pic.twitter.com/4F8x1cSRY0
— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) August 27, 2025
The Madurai rally, billed as TVK’s biggest event so far, witnessed a tragedy when Prabhakaran, a 33-year-old TVK worker from Chennai, collapsed and died while on his way to the gathering, according to a report by Times Now.
Reacting to the incident, BJP leader Vinoj P Selvam said, “The way people are treated in the rally shows what kind of leader Vijay is. It’s a reflection of his nature; there is no regard for the people who are lining up to see him.”
The case comes just months after Vijay announced his entry into the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. He declared his candidature from Madurai East, positioning himself for a direct contest against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
At TVK’s second state conference in Madurai, Vijay openly declared DMK as his main rival while calling the Bharatiya Janata Party TVK’s “only ideological enemy”. To loud cheers from supporters, he said: “TVK is not a political game; it is an ideology. This is not a speech for publicity. This is a warning to those who are in power. TVK is here to dominate. Crores of people are with us. The 2026 election is a fight between TVK and DMK.”
Vijay further hardened his party’s stance, saying: “TVK is not a party that makes underground deals, forges alliances, and cheats the people. We are not afraid of anyone. The people of Tamil Nadu, the women and the youth stand with us.”
Attacks on DMK and BJP
Beyond rallies, Vijay has been vocal in his criticism of the ruling DMK government and the BJP at the Centre. Recently, he condemned the arrest of sanitation workers in Chennai, calling the move “fascist” and “inhumane.” He has also repeatedly attacked the Centre on issues like custodial deaths and the NEET exam. Directly addressing the Prime Minister, he said: “Revoke NEET! Can you do it, Narendra Modi avargal?”