Tirupati witnessed a tragic stampede on Wednesday night at Bairagi Patteda near MGM School, leaving six devotees dead and nearly 40 injured. The stampede occurred as hundreds of devotees jostled to secure tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple on Tirumala Hills.
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy held Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, police, and revenue officials responsible for the incident. Addressing a press conference in Tirupati, Reddy alleged that inadequate crowd management led to the tragedy. “The entire police force was deployed for Chandrababu’s Kuppam tour for three days, leaving no personnel for crowd control. This shows the chief minister has neither fear nor devotion towards God,” he said.
Reddy highlighted similar allegations of negligence during the Godavari Pushkarams in 2015, where 29 people died in a stampede under the TDP regime. He accused Naidu of prioritizing political tours and publicity over public safety.
Demand to Increase Ex-gratia
Visiting the injured at a local hospital, Reddy demanded the TDP government increase the ex-gratia amount to ₹50 lakh for the families of the deceased and ₹5 lakh for the injured. Naidu has announced an ex-gratia of ₹25 lakh for the bereaved families.
Reddy further criticized the handling of the event, alleging that devotees were left in parks without adequate food and water. “During our term (2019–2024), we conducted such events with care and passion. This year, caution was thrown to the winds,” he asserted.
The FIR registered over the incident reportedly includes “ordinary” sections, which Reddy argued downplayed the severity of the tragedy. The opposition leader demanded stricter accountability and better arrangements for future events to prevent such mishaps.
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