Tirupati stampede: CM Naidu orders judicial inquiry, transfers DSP

Tirupati, PTI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said he would order a judicial inquiry into the Tirupati temple stampede that left six people dead and dozens injured, besides transferring three senior officials including the district Superintendent of Police. Addressing a press conference, Naidu said he has ordered suspension of two officials, including a DSP, for their dereliction. He further said he noticed some loopholes or leakages in the administration and monitoring mechanisms in Tirupati which should have been 'perfect'.

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. According to him, a new system of issuing tokens was introduced by the previous regime in Tirupati as opposed to the earlier system of giving them in Tirumala hills.

Six devotees died and nearly 40 more were injured in the stampede at Bairagi Patteda near MGM School in Tirupati on Wednesday night as hundreds of them jostled for tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple. Hundreds of devotees turned up from across the country for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam commencing from January 10.

For 5 minutes we thought all of us were dead: Survivor

“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 said, recounting the horrific Tirupati stampede that killed six persons and left over 40 injured.

Many others who escaped the tragedy on Wednesday night 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. Venkata Lakshmi told a vernacular news channel that six boys pulled her aside and gave some water to drink after the crowd surge led to the deadly stampede. As per Lakshmi, people rushed forward and up to 10 people fell down where she was standing.