Tirupati stampede: CM Chandrababu Naidu announces Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia for kin of deceased, orders judicial inquiry

Tirupati stampede: CM Chandrababu Naidu announces Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia for kin of deceased, orders judicial inquiry 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the Tirupati stampede incident and declared an ex gratia payment of Rs 25 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh for the injured. The 35 injured victims will be provided darshan tomorrow, ANI reported quoting the CM. 

He also said a judicial inquiry would be conducted into the stampede that resulted in six deaths and dozens of injuries. Additionally, three senior officials, including the district Superintendent of Police, would be transferred, the CM added. 

In a press conference on January 9, Naidu said that two officials, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), had been suspended due to their negligence. He acknowledged weaknesses in the administration and monitoring systems in Tirupati, noting that these processes should have been flawless. 

“I’m not blaming anyone. I’ve been in politics for the last 45 years. Security was deployed but more precautions should have been taken. The officials who were deployed failed. If they had released them half an hour or one hour prior, this wouldn’t have happened. Better coordination is required,” CM Naidu said, as per a ANI report. 

Naidu also explained that the previous government had introduced a new token issuance system in Tirupati, replacing the earlier one used in the Tirumala hills. 

The stampede occurred on January 9 night at Bairagi Patteda near MGM School in Tirupati, where six devotees lost their lives and nearly 40 others were injured. The incident took place as hundreds of devotees scrambled for tickets to the Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple. 

Devotees from across the country had gathered in large numbers for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam, which begins on January 10. 

Naidu also visited the hospital where the injured were being treated. He spent 90 minutes interacting with the victims, hearing their grievances one by one. 

Earlier, the CM visited the stampede site where the tragedy occurred. Accompanied by several ministers, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) officials, and others, he inspected the temporary arrangements made to accommodate the large number of pilgrims. 

At the site, Naidu questioned TTD Joint Executive Officer (Health & Education) M Gowthami regarding the incident. 

Many others who escaped the tragedy on the night of January 8 complained about long waiting hours to get tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam to sudden opening of the gates that prompted the crowd to surge ahead. 

"For five minutes we thought all of us were dead. I have been coming to the temple for the past 25 years and it has never happened like this,” D Venkata Lakshmi, one of the devotees, told, PTI.