Andhra Pradesh CM orders judicial probe into Tirupati stampede

The officials who were responsible for this including the DSP Sri Raman Kumar, In-charge of that point SV Gosala Director Dr Harinath Reddy have been suspended while JEO Goutami, SP Sri Subbarayudu and CVSO Sri Sridhar have been transfered.

Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has on Thursday ordered a judicial probe into the stampede in Tirupati that left six dead and nearly 40 injured.  Naidu who expressed deep grief over the death of devotees during the stampede incident occurred at Tirupati on Wednesday night, and said he would initiate steps to ensure a hassle-free Vaikuntha Dwara Darshanam to the devotees on the day of Vaikuntha Ekadasi.

Addressing mediapersons here on Thursday evening, Naidu said the incident where in six devotees lost their lives in a stampede that occurred near in Tirupati while waiting in queue lines for Vaikuntha Ekadasi Vaikuntha Dwara Darshanam tokens has shocked and disturbed him a lot. The officials who were responsible for this including the DSP Sri Raman Kumar, In-charge of that point SV Gosala Director Dr Harinath Reddy have been suspended while JEO Goutami, SP Sri Subbarayudu and CVSO Sri Sridhar have been transfered. ”I have also ordered for a Judicial Enquiry on the incident”, he added.

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Adding further he said, an ex-gratia of Rs.25lakh to the deceased families, Rs.5lakh to the severely injured and Rs.2lakh for 33 others who are undergoing medication in the hospital has been announced as an immediate relief measure. Like Jerusalem for Christians, Mecca for Muslims, Tirumala is the lifetime pilgrimage destination to the Hindus. The officials have also been instructed to provide Vaikuntha Ekadasi Vaikuntha Dwara Darshanam to those injured on January 10 by making a special arrangement as per their wish”, he said.

Reacting over issuing tokens in Tirupati, the CM said, when he met the injured devotees who are undergoing medication in the hospital and interacted with them they said, they feel more sentimental for having Darshan of Sri Venkateswara Swamy on the first day, i.e. on the day of Vaikuntha Ekadasi as they strongly believe it provides them salvation. But in the last five years, a new system of issuing tokens in Tirupati was introduced by opening the Vaikuntha Dwaram for ten days in Tirumala. Whether this new culture is Agama based or not we do not know. However, the officials will consult the experts of Agama and make a pilgrim friendly decision. Safeguarding and up keeping the sanctity of Tirumala is the top most priority. Both the TTD Board and the Administration should work in coordination to achieve this goal, he asserted.

Ministers Sri Anam Ram Narayana Reddy, Smt Anita, Sri Satya Prasad, Sri Satya Kumar Yadav, Sri Parthasaradhi, Sri Rama Naidu, TTD Board Chairman Sri BR Naidu, TTD EO Sri Syamala Rao, Secretary to CM Sri Pradyumna, Collector Sri Venkateswarulu and other board members were also present.