Hours after a tragic stampede at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati killed six devotees while injuring over 40 others, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday visited the spot.
The Chief Minister also visited the SVR Ruia Government General Hospital and SVIMS Hospital where the injured are being treated, as per PTI. He is scheduled to conduct a review meeting with the Executive Officer and others over the incident on Thursday.
On Wednesday, CM Chandrababu Naidu expressed his deep shock over the death of devotees in the stampede that took place near Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati for darshan tokens at Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara.
The chief minister also spoke to officials over the phone about the treatment being provided to the injured in the incident. Higher officials were directed to visit the scene and take relief measures to ensure that the injured get better treatment.
"The death of several devotees in a stampede near Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati for tokens to visit Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara has shocked me. This tragic incident, which took place at a time when devotees had gathered in large numbers for tokens, deeply disturbed me. In the wake of information that the condition of some of them is critical, I have directed higher officials to go to the spot and take relief measures... to provide better medical treatment to the injured and save their lives. I am talking to the district and TTD officials from time to time and am taking stock of the situation", Naidu posted on X.
About the stampede
Since Wednesday morning, hundreds of devotees across the country jostled for tickets at several counters for the 10-day-long Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple which will take place between January 10 and 19.
The stampede took place at Bairagi Patteda near MGM School in the temple town. According to Tirupati district collector S Venkateswar, out of the six deceased devotees, five were women.
'Andhra CM should own moral responsibility': YSRCP
In view of the tragic incident, senior YSRCP leader and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman B Karunakar Reddy on Thursday demanded that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu should own moral responsibility for the Tirupati stampede.
Besides, YSRCP aslo held the TTD responsible for the tragedy and called for immediate probe into the incident.
"The EO (executive officer), SP (superintendent of police) and his subordinates, besides the vigilance wing of the TTD, should be held responsible and action should be taken against them," said Karunakar Reddy.
In a press release, he demanded an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore to the kin of the deceased and Rs 20 lakh for the injured persons.
According to the former TTD chairman, the incident occurred due to the inefficiency of the administration, which is more "inclined towards serving Chandrababu Naidu than Lord Venkateswara".
"Chandrababu Naidu always gives priority to publicity and self-boasting and such an incident was seen during Godavari pushkarams, which claimed over 30 lives due to his publicity craze," he said, referring to a previous stampede incident on the banks of Godavari river in Rajamundry during erstwhile TDP regime between 2014 and 2019.
(With PTI Inputs)
