A day after six people died in the Tirupati stampede, the Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday, January 9 announced a judicial inquiry into the incident that seems to have been the result of a policeman’s innocuous act of opening the gate with the intention of aiding a sick woman. People were waiting to receive tokens for a holy event at the famous Lord Venkateswara Swamy shrine on Tirumala hills for January 10 when tragedy struck.
Following complaints by revenue officials, two FIRs were registered in connection with the stampede which has also left dozens injured. They were registered under Section 194 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) which deals with unnatural deaths, a senior police official said. The government announced an ex-gratia of INR 25 lakh (USD 29,060) each to the kin of deceased of a virtually unprecedented incident that prompted deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan to apologise to the nation and the Hindu community.
Heads roll, survivors recount horror
Heads rolled after Chief Mininster N Chandrababu Naidu took serious note of the matter and sought accountability from officials concerned. He visited the accident spot and also met the injured persons and comforted them.
తిరుపతి పట్టణంలో జరిగిన తొక్కిసలాటలో గాయపడిన వారికి మెరుగైన చికిత్స అందించడమే కాకుండా గౌరవ ముఖ్యమంత్రి శ్రీ నారా చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు ఇచ్చిన మాట ప్రకారం వారికి వైకుంఠ ఏకాదశి నాడు తిరుమల శ్రీవారి ఉత్తర ద్వార దర్శన భాగ్యం కల్పించారు.#TirupatiStampede#Tirupati#AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/ZUVfH4ziU0
— Telugu Desam Party (@JaiTDP) January 10, 2025
Survivors recounted horrific moments of the tragedy, recalling the crowd surge that led to the stampede while some others complained of long waiting hours to get tickets for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam, slated for Friday.
Naidu announced a judicial inquiry into the stampede, and transferred three senior officials, including the district Superintendent of Police. One deputy SP, who was on the spot, has been suspended.
Expressing grief over the Wednesday night incident, Naidu also announced INR 2 lakh (USD 2,324) to those injured.
Naidu attacks ex-government
Addressing a press conference, he also attacked the previous YSRCP for changing practices in the temple. According to him, a new system of issuing tokens was introduced by the previous regime in Tirupati as opposed to the earlier system of giving them in Tirumala hills.
“In the past, so many problems have come up. We are correcting everything, starting with prasadam (consecrated food), annadanam (free food to devotees), even cottages, administration and everything. All of a sudden this incident happened.”
వైకుంఠ ద్వార దర్శనం ఏకాదశి ఒక్క రోజునే చేసుకుంటారు. ఒక్కొక్కసారి మరుసటి రోజు కూడా ఏకాదశి ఉంటే అంతవరకు ఉత్తర ద్వార దర్శనం చేసుకోవడం విన్నాను. కానీ 10 రోజులు ఉత్తర ద్వారా దర్శనాన్ని ఆగమ శాస్త్రం అనుమతించిందో లేదో నాకు తెలియదు కానీ, గత ప్రభుత్వ హయాంలో ఈ కొత్త సంప్రదాయాన్ని… pic.twitter.com/S8PvvQpWOS
— Telugu Desam Party (@JaiTDP) January 9, 2025
“This incident also happened due to a legacy problem. Never in my lifetime tokens were given in Tirupati for ‘darshan’ (to see the deity). For the last five years, they (YSRCP) introduced new practices,” Naidu said, without directly naming the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led party.
He further said he noticed some loopholes in the administration and monitoring mechanisms in Tirupati which should have been ‘perfect’. Naidu also said no “adequate precautions” were taken while opening the gates and that triggered the incident.
He also urged there should be no politics over the incident.
Did DSP’s oversight cause this?
The DSP reportedly opened the gate to help a sick woman come out of the area where the devotees were waiting. However, the crowd apparently thought that the gate had been opened and rushed out, resulting in the stampede.
A senior police official said the DSP should have opened the gate with utmost care and as per procedure. “His intentions might have beeen good. But it caused a disaster,” he told PTI.
A survivor, D Venkata Lakshmi said, “for five minutes we thought all of us were dead. I have been coming to the temple for the past 25 years and it has never happened like this”.
People rushed forward and up to 10 people fell where she was standing, she said.
Stampede staged?
Naidu’s deputy, Pawan Kalyan said some devotees expressed doubts that the stampede must have been staged and that some policemen who should be the first responders, did not act on time.
“To the entire nation, to the entire country, to the entire Sanatani believers, to Hindu Samaj, from the state government (side), I profusely (apologise), my wholehearted apologies for what had happened. It is the responsibility of the TTD EO (executive officer) and JEO,” he told reporters.
“Wholeheartedly, Apologies to entire Nation, we will rectify the Flaws” – @PawanKalyan #TirupatiStampede pic.twitter.com/hg9dXUMv5p
— S e e N u (@SrinivasFitness) January 9, 2025
Senior YSRCP leader and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman B Karunakar Reddy demanded that CM Naidu should own moral responsibility for the Tirupati stampede and initiate stringent action against the officials responsible.
The Congress’ state unit held the TTD that governs the Lord Venkatswara temple, responsible for the tragedy and called for immediate probe into the incident
Six devotees died and nearly 40 more were injured in the stampede at Bairagi Patteda near MGM School in Tirupati on Wednesday night as hundreds of them jostled for tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam.