Adhava Arjuna, the General Secretary of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) and President of the Basketball Federation of India, is currently in Dehradun to participate in the National Sub-Junior Basketball Tournament. This visit occurs amidst controversy surrounding a now-deleted social media post he made on X (formerly Twitter) following a stampede in Karur that resulted in the deaths of 41 people.
The controversial post, which was uploaded and then quickly deleted on September 29, 2025, called for the youth of Tamil Nadu to revolt against what he termed a "wicked government," drawing parallels to recent protests in Nepal and Sri Lanka. The timing of the post, less than 48 hours after the Karur stampede, sparked outrage and accusations that Arjuna was inciting violence and attempting to exploit the tragedy for political gain. Critics, including members of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), condemned the remarks as irresponsible and potentially dangerous.
The post, titled "Revolution is the Only Way!", criticized the government and urged "Gen Z" to rise up. Arjuna accused the Tamil Nadu police of assaulting people for simply walking on the road and arresting them for expressing opinions on social media. He further added that under a wicked ruler even the laws turn wicked.
The TVK has distanced itself from Arjuna's remarks, with sources stating that the post was immediately deleted and that the party would never instigate violence. TVK sources told NDTV that "The party and Vijay will never instigate people or violence".
Despite the deletion, screenshots of the post circulated widely on social media, leading to calls for Arjuna's arrest. Arjuna has been booked under sections 192, 196(1)(b), 197(1)(d), 353(1)(b), and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These sections deal with offenses such as wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot, promoting enmity between different groups, making misleading information jeopardizing the sovereignty and integrity or security of India, and statements conducing to public mischief.
In the wake of the Karur stampede, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has dismissed the anticipatory bail petitions filed by TVK General Secretary Anand and Joint Secretary C.T.R. Nirmalkumar. Additionally, the Madras High Court Justice N Senthilvkumar dismissed the anticipatory bail filed by TVK district secretary N Sathish Kumar.
Arjuna has also filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking to ensure that Vijay is not prevented from meeting the families of those killed in Karur and has demanded that the inquiry into the stampede be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure impartiality. When questioned about the stampede, Arjuna told ANI, "We are working for justice. Truth will come out".
Aadhav Arjuna joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) as the General Secretary of Election Campaign Management and is also the Founder of Voice of Commons, a platform empowering students and young professionals to engage meaningfully in political affairs.
