Andhra CM has moral responsibility for Tirupati stampede, says YSRCP

Senior YSRCP leader and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman B. Karunakar Reddy on Thursday demanded that Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu own moral responsibility for the Tirupati stampede and initiate stringent action against the officials responsible.

The Congress' state unit held the TTD, which governs the Lord Venkatswara temple, responsible for the tragedy and called for an immediate probe into the incident.

Six devotees died and nearly 40 more were injured in a stampede at Bairagi Patteda near MGM School in Tirupati on Wednesday night as hundreds jostled for tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala Hills. Scores of devotees turned up from across the country for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam commencing from 10 January.

"The EO (executive officer), SP (superintendent of police) and his subordinates, besides the vigilance wing of the TTD, should be held responsible and action should be taken against them," Karunakar Reddy said. In a press release, he demanded an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore to the kin of the deceased and Rs 20 lakh for those injured.

According to the former TTD chairman, the incident occurred owing to the inefficiency of the administration, which is more "inclined towards serving Chandrababu Naidu than Lord Venkateswara".

"Chandrababu Naidu always gives priority to publicity and self-boasting and such an incident was seen during Godavari pushkarams, which claimed over 30 lives owing to his publicity craze," he said, referring to a previous stampede incident on the banks of the Godavari river in Rajamundry under the erstwhile TDP regime between 2014 and 2019.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y.S. Sharmila also held TTD responsible for the stampede and called for an immediate probe into the incident. She demanded the government come to the rescue of the bereaved family members.

Meanwhile, APCC vice-president Kolanukonda Sivaji demanded the immediate resignation of TTD chairman B.R. Naidu, and sought Rs 50 lakh ex-gratia to the family members of the deceased. One member each from the affected families should be given a job in TTD, he demanded.

A CPI(M) leader said it is a known fact that lakhs of people descend on the temple around this time of the year and claimed that there were no advance arrangements. "Every day they (TTD) were discussing and it looked like something was being done, but by the time devotees came, it happened like this," he said.

According to the Left leader, Vaikunta Ekadasi was not a new thing and there were also instances when devotees rushed and jostled, but such a situation never occurred. "The government is completely responsible for this. Due to the government's irresponsibility and the failure of the district administration this situation has arisen," he charged.

Meanwhile, the TTD claimed that the planning and "everything" was done correctly for the event "but a DSP opening a gate" and not taking the necessary precautions led to this incident.

"We would not know unless a detailed enquiry is done," said TTD EO J. Syamala Rao. Of the injured, 20 devotees have been discharged until now. They were admitted in Ruia and SVIMS (Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences) hospitals, he said.

A doctor attending to the patients said two persons suffered bone fractures but are stable. "Rest all, owing to the crushing effect of the stampede (on their chests) have pain in the muscles and no other serious injuries. Many will get discharged by evening. But two to three people should be in hospital observation for another two to three days," the doctor added.

Following the stampede, a group of Andhra Pradesh ministers called on the relatives of the deceased devotees. "The group of ministers is comforting the families of the deceased persons who died in the Tirupati stampede at Ruia (hospital) mortuary. They are taking information about the incident," said an official release.

The ministers included A. Satya Prasad, Vangalapudi Anitha, A. Ramnarayan Reddy, N. Ramanaidu, K. Parthasarathi and others. The government is making arrangements to shift the bodies of the deceased to their hometowns.