Tirupati stampede: FIRs blame sudden rush for deaths; Opposition guns for criminal liability against TTD officials

The people had waited for more than 12 hours to receive a coupon from TTD, hoping to have darshan on the auspicious occasion of 'Vaikuntha Ekadasi'.

Hyderabad: While five of the six victims who died in Wednesday night's stampede in temple town Tirupati were women, FIRs filed by Tirupati East police prima facie said a sudden rush from the devotees had led to the stampede.

"All of a sudden, a huge number of devotees rushed towards the counters and as a result, the above-said deceased, along with others, accidentally fell down. They were shifted to SVRRGG Hospital in Tirupati, for treatment. The duty doctor examined them and declared them dead,” said one of the FIRs.

The people had waited for more than 12 hours to receive a coupon from TTD, hoping to have darshan of Lord Venkateswara on Vaikuntha Ekadasi, an auspicious day according to Hindu mythology, which falls on January 10 this year, through Uttara Dwaram.

The government had announced Rs 25 lakhs ex gratia to the families of the deceased. Around 32 injured persons on Thursday morning were discharged from the two hospitals run by TTD, where they were undergoing treatment since last night. A few others who sustained multiple fractures remain in the hospitals.

Police has registered two FIRs. The first FIR was registered based on the complaint given by Balaiahpalli Mandal, Tahsildar P Srinivasulu, after R Malliga, a 50-year-old woman from Tamil Nadu’s Mettur Salem district, collapsed in the queue for darshan tokens at Vishnunivasam.

“The deceased R Malliga, 50 yrs, w/o Krishnan Chinnagovindan, Daasanur village, Samanjipetaiah post, Michari town, Metturu Salam district, Tamil Nadu, came to Tirupati for vaikunta eekadasi darshanam. On that, she, along with her husband, went to Vishnunivasam outside the waiting area for collecting darshanam tokens. When other devotees rushed towards the queue line in that time due to her ill health, she fell down on the earth; immediately she was shifted to SVRRGG Hospital, Tirupati, for treatment. The duty doctor examined her and declared her dead,” said the FIR seen by DH.

According to another FIR, the deceased include Kandipilli Santhi, 35, from Visakhapatnam; Guddla Rajini, 45; Boddeti Naidu Babu, 55, from Narsipatnam Post; Suri Setty Lavanya Swathi, 37, from Visakhapatnam; and Nirmala, from Pollachi, Tamil Nadu.

“They came to Tirupati for Vaikunta Ekadasi Darshanam, and on that day, they, along with their relatives, went to Sri Ramanaidu School for collecting Darshanam tokens and waiting at Sri Padmavathi Park. All of a sudden, a huge number of devotees rushed towards the queue line; as a result, the above-said deceased, along with others, accidentally fell down on the earth. Immediately, all of them were shifted to SVRRGG Hospital, Tirupati, for treatment. The duty doctor examined them and declared them dead,” said the FIR.

However, the opposition YSRCP has demanded that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu should take moral responsibility for the stampede incident. Former TTD Chairman and senior YSRCP leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy has demanded that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu should own moral responsibility for the stampede incident at Tirupati and take stern action against the officials concerned besides paying compensation to the victims.

“The additional EO, SP, and his subordinates, besides the vigilance wing of the TTD, should be held responsible, and action should be taken against them besides paying Rs 1 crore to the kin of the deceased and Rs 20 lakh to those injured. The incident occurred due to the inefficiency of the administration, which is more inclined towards serving Chandrababu Naidu than Lord Venkateswara, which is very evident. Chandrababu Naidu always gives priority to publicity and self-boasting, and such an incident was seen during the Godavari pushkarams, which claimed over 30 lives due to his publicity craze,” he said.

He added that when gates were opened suddenly, devotees rushed, leading to a stampede during the Godavari Pushkarams and in the TTD token counter, which shows the similarities of inefficiency of official machinery and the mind-set of Chandrababu Naidu.

The TTD official machinery is totally devoted to pleasing the Chief Minister on one hand and heaping false allegations on YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and his party members, he said.

This is not the first time that Vaikunta Ekadasi has come, and during our term, the event passed off peacefully, and this time around the officials, particularly the AEO Venkaiiah Chowdary, SP, and his subordinates, are squarely responsible for the incident, and they should be suspended immediately, he added.

Expressing anguish over the Tirupati stampede and holding the coalition government responsible for the loss of lives, YSRCP has said the sanctity of TTD has been spoilt with political interference. Former minister RK Roja criticised the government's negligence in managing the massive influx of devotees despite prior knowledge of the crowd size.

She accused officials of failing to ensure adequate safety measures, terming the incident a clear case of criminal negligence. Roja demanded a transparent investigation and filing of cases under BNS-105, which addresses criminal liability. She called for compensation of Rs 1 crore for each deceased family and Rs. 25 lakh for the injured and demanded the resignation of responsible officials, including TTD Chairman BR Naidu.

Roja highlighted the lack of basic amenities, such as food and water, for devotees standing in long queues and accused officials of prioritising political events over public safety.