In fresh trouble for actor-turned neta and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay, the Tamil Nadu Police have registered an FIR against him and a few bouncers on the charge of throwing off a young fan, who managed to jump on to the ramp to meet his matinee idol at the TVK’s second state conference near Madurai on August 21.
The incident occurred when Vijay proceeded to the stage by walking on the ramp so that he could greet his supporters from close quarters. Despite grease being applied on the railings to prevent overenthusiastic fans getting on to the ramp, Sarath Kumar managed to enter and rushed towards the actor along with another one, only to be caught and tossed away into the crowd by the bouncers accompanying Vijay. Visuals of the youth being thrown off from the ramp had gone viral, inviting widespread condemnation.
The case was booked by the Kunnam Police in the Perambalur district on a complaint of Sarath Kumar, the youth who was thrown off and suffered injuries. The police have invoked sections 189 (2), 296 (B) and 115(1) of the BNS, which involve manhandling and abetment of an offence punishable by death or life imprisonment.
Sarath Kumar is a native of Kunnam and hence the complaint was registered there. Now, the case has been transferred to Madurai since the incident took place at the conference held there.
After submitting the complaint, Sarath Kumar, accompanied by his mother, told the media that he had somehow had a miraculous escape when the bouncers threw him off the ramp. “However, I sustained injuries in the chest and head, which still cause pain,” he said. Asked whether TVK functionaries approached him, he said “Functionaries from the party approached me and tried to pacify me. But they did not touch upon my health condition or medical expenses.”
However, the selfie video of Vijay walking on the ramp amidst the cheering supporters, went viral, and created a new record on Instagram with 10 million likes on a single day, making it the most liked post by a South Indian actor. The Madurai conference had attracted a huge crowd with conservative estimates putting it at 5 lakh. Positioning himself as the alternative to the ruling DMK, Vijay had reiterated that the ‘fascist’ BJP is the ideological enemy of the TVK while the DMK is the political enemy.