Overview
- Police said Suraj, 37, a Maharashtra native living in Salem, collapsed during the TVK meeting and was declared dead at a hospital, with a heart attack suspected and inquiries underway.
- District authorities approved the gathering only as an executives’ meeting under 51 conditions, enforcing QR-coded passes and an attendance cap of about 4,998 with heavy deployment and traffic diversions.
- Vijay alleged his party is being denied permissions granted to others and mocked the state’s SOP as the “Stalin Operating Procedure,” while attacking the DMK on law and order and governance.
- Reiterating that TVK will contest alone and shun both national blocs, Vijay claimed confidence of winning a full majority and said his earlier power-share offer has become a “political bomb” after CM M.K. Stalin ruled out cabinet sharing with allies.
- Police and media reports said journalists were allegedly roughed up by TVK members near the hospital after the death, and a TVK leader later expressed regret, calling it a misunderstanding.