YSRCP leader Karunakar Reddy rejects report on Tirupati stampede, demands CBI inquiry

YSRCP leader B Karunakar Reddy rejected the report on the Tirupati stampede that killed six people. He claimed it unfairly blamed two minor officials and spared top authorities, demanding a CBI inquiry to uncover the real facts

Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh): Senior YSRCP leader and former TTD chairman B Karunakar Reddy on Friday rejected the judicial commission report over the Tirupati temple stampede, demanding a CBI inquiry as the “report seems to be biased and predetermined”.

The Andhra Pradesh cabinet, headed by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, on Thursday accepted the report submitted by Justice (retired) M Satyanarayana Murthy on the stampede that occurred at Padmavathi Park in Bairagipatteda, Tirupati, on January 8, 2025.

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Six devotees died and nearly 40 were injured in the stampede in Bairagipatteda near MGM School as hundreds of them jostled for tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala Hills.

“The report seems to be predetermined as it has let off all the main persons responsible for the incident, which includes the TTD, revenue (department) and police officials, but has selectively picked two persons and made them scapegoats,” said Reddy, addressing a press conference in the temple town.

The report states that two persons–Harinath Reddy and Ramana Kumar–are responsible for the stampede. Various vigilance and other commission reports will be given in the coming days. Against this backdrop, Reddy, claiming that the main persons were allegedly spared, and small-time officials were held responsible, demanded a CBI inquiry.

The YSRCP leader alleged that the report is aimed at making a few lower-ranking officials scapegoats. The former TTD chairman demanded a CBI inquiry for the facts to emerge and punish the guilty, alleging that the TTD staff were in the service of VVIPs when the stampede occurred.