Jagan Reddy slams Naidu government over Tirupati stampede
What's the story
YSR Congress Party Chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has sought accountability after a stampede in Tirupati killed six and injured over 50. The incident took place during the Vaikuntha Ekadashi ticket distribution.
Reddy held the Chandrababu Naidu-led government, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) administration, and district officials responsible for negligence.
He slammed them for not managing the crowd despite expecting huge gatherings every year for the event.
Resource diversion
Reddy criticizes misallocation of police resources
Reddy emphasized that police personnel were diverted for Naidu's personal events, leaving no backup for crowd control in Tirupati.
He was concerned about the incident, saying such a tragedy never happened in Tirumala's history despite huge yearly crowds.
"The crowd for Vaikuntha Ekadashi is expected every year. Why were there no proper arrangements at ticket counters? Why was security not deployed?" Reddy questioned while slamming the government's handling of the event.
Compensation call
Reddy demands accountability and compensation for victims
Reddy demanded that several key officials including the Chief Minister, TTD Chairman, EO, Additional EO, District Collector, and SP take responsibility for the incident.
He also called for an ex gratia of ₹50 lakh for the families of the deceased and ₹5 lakh for those injured in the stampede.
Further, he urged immediate reforms in crowd management during major events like Vaikuntha Ekadashi to prevent future tragedies.
Official outrage
Former TTD chairmen express outrage over stampede incident
Former TTD chairmen Bhumana Karunakara Reddy and VY Subba Reddy also expressed their displeasure blaming political agendas over temple service.
Bhumana accused TTD officials of prioritizing pleasing ruling party members over devotee safety and demanded moral responsibility from Naidu.
He proposed an ex-gratia payment of ₹1 crore to families of the deceased.
VY Subba Reddy criticized administrative lapses, highlighting that the lack of signage at token counters added to confusion among devotees.
Judicial probe
Naidu suspends officials, orders judicial probe into stampede
Reacting to the incident and the subsequent criticism, CM Naidu has suspended a few officials and ordered a judicial probe into the reasons behind the stampede.
The incident has raised serious questions over crowd management and safety measures at religious events in India.
The Vaikuntha Ekadashi festival, celebrated in December or January every year, sees thousands of devotees visiting the Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati.