‘Someone should take responsibility’: As TDP and Tirupati management face flak for stampede, FIR suggests crowd to blame

Asked why this section was invoked, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Tirupati East) Venkat Narayana only said the investigation was underway.

In his complaint, the tahsildar said the deceased had gone to Sri Ramanaidu School to collect tokens for the darshan of Lord Venkateshwara during the auspicious Vaikunta Ekadasi and were waiting at Sri Padmavathi Park when there was a sudden rush of devotees. This caused the devotees to trip and fall, the official said in his complaint.

“They were taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead,” it said.

While the first FIR concerns the death of devotes identified as Kandipilli Santhi, Guddla Rajini, B Babu Naidu, Surisetty Lavanya Swathi, and Nirmala, the second pertains to the death of R Malliga, a 50-year-old resident of Salem, Tamil Nadu. This victim was identified later.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the Lord Venkateshwara temple, and the Naidu government meanwhile faced criticism for alleged mismanagement in ticket distribution at the temple for the festival, which starts January 10.

Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister Velampalli Srinivasa Rao described Wednesday as a “black” day in the history of the TTD, otherwise “well-known” for managing huge crowds.

The victims’ families, meanwhile, were distraught. Jaya, whose husband B Babu Naidu died in the stampede, said she had also fallen down in the stampede but escaped being trampled on when someone pushed her aside.

“No one should ever face this kind of a situation. Be it police, TTD, or any officials, someone should take responsibility and ensure the safety of devotees who come here hoping to have darshan peacefully and safely. My husband used to come here every year with immense faith. This should not happen again to anyone. Authorities should be more responsible,” she told The Indian Express.

Venkatesh, whose wife Santhi also died in the crush, said the police “failed” them.

“They did not keep the crowd under check. They opened the gate suddenly, causing a surge from behind, and those in the front fell, including my wife Santhi. She died there,” he said.

Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and TTD Executive Officer J Syamala Rao, who met some of the victims’ families, also faced the wrath of relatives.

The state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh for the families of those who died.

“We will send the bodies back to their homes in special vehicles along with a government official who will ensure that all the formalities are completed and funeral arrangements are done. We will take care of the treatment of the injured persons,” Reddy said after his visit to the hospitals.