Did Karur police look away as atrocities unfolded? Recalling 2023 mob attacks
I-T officers raiding properties linked to Senthil Balaji in 2023 faced violent mob attacks, raising troubling questions on Karur locals' complicity
Karur, a Tamil Nadu town once known for its quiet lanes and textile outlets, now finds itself at the epicentre of a tragedy — a stampede on September 27 at actor-politician Vijay’s election rally claimed 41 lives and left many injured.
With Vijay's party TVK crying out “sabotage” against the ruling DMK government, the tragedy is bound to be frequently remembered as the 2026 Assembly elections approach. But the alleged complicity of the locals in a crime around Karur, which very few remember, happened in 2023.
The precincts of this riverside textile hub were used to unleash a series of coordinated attacks on Income Tax (I-T) officials, allegedly by sympathisers of the ruling DMK. Neither a charge sheet nor a closure report has been filed in the politically sensitive case to date.
Mob attacks of 2023
The Tamil Nadu Police website says all four cases related to the mob attacks are still under investigation. The same has been corroborated by the Director General of Police and the Karur Superintendent of Police.
Watch: I-T officials' vehicle vandalised during raids on TN Minister Senthil Balaji; DMK workers blamed
With only the judiciary upholding the rule of law, the victimised officers of the incident have alleged state apathy in probing the case and ensuring that justice is served.
The events of May 26, 2023, began as a routine execution of the law. Teams of senior I-T officers descended upon various properties linked to the then DMK minister V Senthil Balaji and people close to him, as part of an investigation into allegations of money laundering and a cash-for-jobs scandal.
What unfolded instead, according to I-T officials, was a flagrant assault on the representatives of the state, conducted in broad daylight and with an apparent sense of impunity.
Change of plan
A senior I-T officer, speaking in detail to The Federal about the incident, recalled the “meticulous planning” and rapid “escalation” that turned a standard raid into chaos.
He said officers from Chennai and other regions were summoned to Coimbatore and told that there would be raids in Kerala’s Thrissur and Palakkad. “We woke up at 3 am to depart, only to learn en route that the real plan was different. As our vehicles headed toward Karur, it became clear that the targets were key figures there,” the officer told The Federal.
But a critical twist emerged early: As soon as the officials reached Coimbatore late the previous night, word of the impending I-T raid reportedly reached Senthil Balaji's brother, Ashok Kumar, and his associates. "Many went into hiding overnight," the senior officer said. "Mobiles and SIM cards were discarded."
Lack of response
The officer said that by 6 am, when the I-T team arrived at Ashok Kumar's residence, the house was found locked. While the raid party waited, the I-T headquarters urgently requested police protection from the Karur SP and the Inspector General (IG), sensing trouble.
Watch: Day 2: CRPF protection to IT team after vehicle vandalised
The officer said the I-T teams that were conducting simultaneous raids in Chennai, Coimbatore, Trichy, and Erode received police escorts within minutes of the request, but in Karur, the response was starkly absent.
“Despite direct instructions from the Central IG and district SP, local police inspectors turned a deaf ear. Two police stations were just around 1 km away from the search location, but they took a lot of time to reach the spot," the officer alleged.
‘Mob arrived instead of cops’
Instead, what arrived in the next 30 minutes was a mob of over 50 people, who surrounded the team. Almost immediately, two or three ambulances arrived at the spot — a detail that raised suspicions of premeditation.
The I-T officer said that the Deputy Director of I-T, SN Yogapriyangaa, IRS, and her team were attacked by a mob of over 50 individuals at the residence of M Subramaniam, allegedly a close aide of Senthil Balaji and a partner of the well-known Kongu Mess restaurant chain.
A man yanks off the rear-view mirror of the vehicle of an I-T team after it was intercepted by a mob in Karur on the day of the raids on May 26, 2023.
FIR No. 260/2023 at the Thanthonimalai Police Station details how officials were dragged down the stairs, beaten, threatened, and subjected to verbal abuse, while confidential documents and government seals were snatched from their hands.
Yogapriyangaa was among the injured. The mob allegedly not only encircled and assaulted the officials, but also blew breath into Yogapriyangaa’s face when she asked them if they were drunk. When she covered her face in reflex, the assailants claimed she had struck them. The “injured” individuals were bundled into waiting ambulances.
Also read: The importance of being Senthil Balaji, be it AIADMK or DMK
“The Karur police still hadn't reached the spot till then," the senior officer recalled. "When they finally arrived, they only tried to pacify the crowd without making any effort to disperse it."
‘Woman inspector groped, shoved’
A few blocks away, a parallel raid was underway at Ashok Kumar's residence. Here, the revenue inspector Gayathry G and her team faced the onslaught of another violent crowd, allegedly comprising people close to aides of Senthil Balaji.
The mob damaged the car of the I-T officers. Gayathry, a former Commonwealth Games medallist, was groped and shoved, and later had to be hospitalised.
FIR No. 377/2023, filed at the Karur Town Police Station, mentions grave charges of rioting, assault, obscene acts, criminal intimidation under IPC, and violations under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act. Other raid parties faced similar resistance.
Mobs stormed multiple locations
Assistant director K Krishnakanth’s team was allegedly attacked by a mob of over 60 individuals, including many locals. Their official gadgets were snatched. The mob also forcefully took away the items seized by the officers, which included ‘incriminating documents’ and cash totalling Rs 1 crore.
In another location, IRS official Aishwarya and her team were obstructed during a raid at the premises of R Thangamani, a friend of ‘Kongu Mess’ Subramanian. The search warrant was allegedly snatched and torn by Thangamani. Here too, documents seized by the I-T officers were “stolen”. Inspector Galla Srinivasarao and others were injured in the attack.
Also read: Karur stampede: ‘Shoe hurled at Vijay much before he uttered my name’, says Senthil Balaji
With mobs storming multiple locations, the I-T teams were forced to take refuge at the Karur SP’s office. The search operations resumed only after Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel arrived and secured the locations.
‘Accused, kin flooded hospitals’
In a bizarre aftermath, the senior officer told The Federal, a staggering 64 people, including those involved in the mob attack on the I-T teams, their family members, and friends, flooded local government and private hospitals. They cited “fabricated” ailments like diarrhoea, chest pain, and dizziness.
"This was their ploy to evade police questioning,” the officer said. “Meanwhile, the attackers simply vanished."
Karur police invoked Sections 147 (rioting), 323 (causing hurt), 353 (assault on a public servant), and 506(ii) (criminal intimidation) IPC against 50 unnamed accused. Sixteen people, including DMK functionaries Vignesh alias Sabapathi, Sandy alias Satheeshkumar, Kanagaraj, Krishnan, Selvam, Marappa Gounder Gunasekaran, Thangavel, Balasubramani, Rubesh, Arun, Jothi Babu, and Bullet Boopathy, were arrested in the case.
“Despite the severity of these coordinated attacks and the involvement of politically connected individuals, the initial arrests proved cosmetic,” the official said.
Legal respite for I-T officers
As the attack was a criminal matter, the state was obligated to prosecute the accused. Yet, the entire town of Karur appeared under their sway: No local lawyers stepped forward to argue for the I-T officers, and the Karur lower court released everyone on bail swiftly, leaving the officials stunned.
“We took our Trichy unit’s I-T lawyer for this case, but in the last minute, he did not get any chances to argue,” the I-T officer said.
Frustrated and isolated, the assaulted officers petitioned the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, seeking cancellation of bail and a fair, independent investigation.
Also read: TVK chief Vijay postpones Karur visit as CBI begins probe into stampede
Justice G Ilangovan, after perusing records, observed that the lower courts' orders lacked application of mind – one merely noted that there were "no previous cases" against the accused. He emphasised that while granting bail, courts must weigh societal interest against individual freedom, especially in cases involving assaults on public servants.
Senior Counsel NR Elango, representing two of the accused, contended that no post-bail misconduct occurred and that the accused complied with conditions like daily/weekly reporting, and the recovery could proceed without custody.
The high court, recognising the gravity of the offence and the threat to judicial process, cancelled the bail and directed the accused to surrender, and the bail applications were transferred to the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Karur, to assess the severity of the charges, influence of the accused, and risk to witnesses.
Justice delayed
Subsequent appeals to the high court were also dismissed. Even while in judicial custody, when they were supposed to serve time in prison, most of the accused spent their days in hospitals, allegedly citing health issues, according to the senior I-T officer.
In criminal jurisprudence, the state, represented by the police, is the one that bears the responsibility of investigating, prosecuting, and punishing offences committed against a particular group or community. But it has been alleged that in this case, the police failed to protect the victims or pursue the investigation with diligence. It thus fell upon the judiciary to intervene and uphold the rule of law. Even so, two years later, the cases have barely progressed.
Also read: DMK vs AIADMK: Tamil Nadu Assembly erupts over Karur stampede deaths
Over 11 witnesses have been examined in one case alone, but delays continue to obstruct justice. Bail applications continue to be filed by more than 20 accused, including known DMK loyalists like Selvam, Gym Balaji, and councillors Rubesh and Jothi Basu.
CCTV footage not shared
Judicial Magistrate R Shanmugasundaram and the Sessions Court in Karur have repeatedly denied relief, citing their prior criminal records, intimidation of witnesses, and the "grave nature" of offences that directly threatened governance and justice.
"Why hasn't the charge sheet been filed in this case yet? They haven't even summoned the accused for interrogation," the senior I-T officer accused, underscoring the persistent inertia.
Another aspect worth noting is that the I-T Department officials requested footage from CCTV cameras installed in public places in the areas where the attacks occurred, writing letters twice, but the police and Karur corporation officials did not provide a proper response, said a senior officer.
Victimised officers feel betrayed
Behind the scenes, victims of the mob attacks — officers like Yogapriyangaa, Gayathry, Galla Srinivasarao, and others — remain disillusioned. Some have been transferred. Others battle trauma that has yet to heal.
In rare private conversations, some speak of betrayal, not by the mob, but by the system. “We were assaulted while upholding the law. But the State looked away. Only the courts stood by us,” one officer remarked.
Also read: Why SC transferred Karur stampede probe to CBI? Doubts 'impartiality' of TN investigation
The judiciary has played its role in arresting impunity — cancelling bail, issuing stern orders, and pushing back against political interference. But the lack of prosecution, the erasure of evidence, and continued delays suggest a justice system strained by politics. In the absence of charge sheets, Karur risks becoming a case study of how local power can still overpower the law.
