TIRUPATI: The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered a judicial probe into the tragic stampede in Tirupati that claimed six lives and left around 40 devotees injured. The inquiry will determine the cause of the disaster and recommend measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
The government has also taken strict action against officials found negligent. Two senior officials from the police department and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the Lord Venkateswara temple, were suspended, while three others were transferred.
CM Announces Compensation and Visits Victims
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu visited Tirupati on the eve of Vaikunta Ekadasi to assess the situation. He announced an ex gratia payment of ₹25 lakh to the families of the deceased and ₹2 lakh for each injured person. He also criticized the lack of planning and crowd management by the TTD and police, consoling the injured and meeting with the relatives of the victims.
Details of the Incident
Preliminary investigations revealed that the stampede occurred when a senior police officer opened a gate at a makeshift queue facility to allow an elderly devotee, who was unwell, to exit. The sudden opening of the gate caused a surge among devotees, who had been waiting for over 12 hours, leading to the stampede.
Officials clarified that the stampede was unrelated to the early opening of token counters. TTD had announced the distribution of free darshan tokens from 5 a.m. on Thursday. However, thousands of devotees had queued as early as 8 a.m. on Wednesday, creating immense pressure. Following the incident at 8:03 p.m. on Wednesday, token distribution began at 11 p.m. and continued until 10 a.m. on Thursday, issuing a total of 1.2 lakh tokens for general darshan.
Action Taken Against Officials
The government suspended DSP Ramana Kumar and TTD dairy farm director Haranadh Reddy for dereliction of duty. Additionally, Tirupati SP L. Subba Rayudu, TTD chief vigilance and security officer S. Sreedhar, and joint executive officer Gouthami were transferred for their failure to manage the situation effectively.
The judicial inquiry will aim to uncover the lapses that led to the tragedy and establish accountability while recommending measures to enhance safety and crowd control at the temple.
