Tirupati stampede: CM Naidu orders judicial inquiry, suspends 2 officials

Expressing grief over the incident, Naidu said he is announcing Rs 25 lakh ex gratia to the kin of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh to those injured.

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday ordered the suspensions of officials, including a DSP, for their dereliction of duty, in connection with a stampede in Tirupati on Wednesday night that had led to the death of six devotees. The government has also ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident,

The officials, DSP Raman Kumar, in charge of that point, and S V Gosala director Dr Harinath Reddy, have been suspended, while TTD joint executive officer K Goutami, SP Subbarayudu, and CVSO Sridhar have been transferred.

''I have also ordered for a judicial inquiry on the incident,'' said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday in Tirupati. Naidu on Thursday visited Tirupati to have a first-hand account of the stampede incident and held a review meeting with the officials of TTD and district administration. He also met the injured who are undergoing treatment at TTD-run hospitals.

Adding further, he said an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to the deceased families, Rs 5 lakh to the severely injured, and Rs 2 lakh 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 for 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 to the issuance of tokens in Tirupati, Naidu said that when he met the injured devotees who are undergoing treatment 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 upkeeping the sanctity of Tirumala is the topmost priority. Both the TTD Board and the Administration should work in coordination to achieve this goal,” he asserted.

While expressing his deep grief over the death of devotees during the stampede incident, Naidu vowed to bring in a hassle-free Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam to the devotees on the day of Vaikuntha Ekadasi.

Addressing media persons in the conference hall of the TTD Administrative Building in Tirupati on Thursday evening, the CM said the incident has shocked and disturbed him a lot.