The Vellore District Police have rejected allegations by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) that permission for its administrators’ meeting attended by party chief Vijay was granted at the last minute, stating that due process was followed and approval was issued within the prescribed timeline.
The TVK administrators’ meeting was held at Agaramcheri in Vellore district, where police had permitted participation of 4,900 party functionaries. Around 900 police personnel were deployed for security. The event also featured a pandal and seating arrangements, which observers noted was not typical of earlier TVK gatherings.
Ahead of the meeting, TVK functionary Nirmal Kumar told reporters that party administrators had been running around for more than 40 days to secure permission for the Vellore event. He alleged that the police issued the approval letter only 22 hours before the programme. Similar concerns have been raised by the party on earlier occasions. Addressing the gathering, party president Vijay also said obtaining police permission for TVK meetings and public interactions had become difficult and asserted that he would visit every village after the party comes to power.
Police Issue Detailed Rebuttal
Refuting the allegations, the Vellore District Police, in a press release dated 23 February 2026, termed the claim of last-minute approval “not true” and provided a date-wise sequence of the application process.
According to the police, TVK first applied on 28 January 2026 seeking permission to hold a public interaction meeting on 8 February with participation of the party leader and about 25,000 people. On 30 January 2026, police sought mandatory basic details in line with Government Order No. 05 issued by the Tamil Nadu government following directions of the Madras High Court.
On 5 February 2026, TVK informed authorities that the event would be postponed due to unavoidable reasons and that a fresh date would be sought. The party then reapplied on 6 February 2026 stating the programme would be held on 23 February 2026 with an expected turnout of about 25,000 persons. Police again sought required details.
In a subsequent communication dated 18 February 2026, TVK informed the police that the programme had been converted into an administrators’ meeting and that only 4,900 district-level functionaries would participate.
Police said further queries were raised on 19 February 2026 seeking essential arrangements details, and TVK furnished the clarifications on 20 February 2026.
Permission Granted After Field Inspection
The police stated that, keeping public safety in view, they conducted a field inspection of the venue and reviewed parking arrangements. Formal permission was issued on 22 February 2026.
Officials maintained there was no delay and that approval was granted within four days of the relevant application process. They also rejected as “completely false” the claim that the party had struggled for one and a half months or that permission was given only about 20 hours before the event.
The police further noted that permission had been granted strictly for an administrators’ meeting of 4,900 participants. However, during the event held on 23 February 2026, more than 10,000 people were found to have attended, exceeding the permitted number.
According to the police, this amounted to a violation of the Madras High Court’s guidelines and Government Order No. 05 governing public meetings. Despite this, the police said adequate security arrangements were made to ensure that no untoward incident occurred.
— Vellore District Police (@VellorePolice) February 23, 2026
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