Tirupati Stampede: Jagan Reddy Blames Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu 'Neither Fear Nor Devotion Towards God'
Date
1/9/2025 10:14:33 PM
(MENAFN- Live Mint) YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy has blamed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Police and revenue officials for the Tirupati stampede in which six people were killed and dozens injured.
"Entire police force was deployed for Chandrababu 's Kuppam tour for three days and there were no police personnel for crowd management which led to the stampede,” alleged Reddy, the former chief minister, on January 9.
Also Read | Tirupati stampede: CM Naidu announces ₹25 lakh ex-gratia for deceased
With police occupied with Naidu's tour on January 6, 7 and 8, 'no force' was available to handle the crowd, Reddy said, adding that this "shows that the chief minister has neither fear nor devotion towards God".
Six devotees died and nearly 40 were injured in the stampede at Bairagi Patteda near MGM School in Tirupati on Wednesday night as hundreds of people jostled for tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple on the Tirumala Hills.
Hundreds of devotees turned up from across the country for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam commencing on January 10.
Chief Minister Naidu has ordered the suspension of Tirupati's Deputy Superintendent of Police Ramana Kumar and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) SV Dairy Farm Director Harinatha Reddy. Tirupati's SP L Subbarayudu, Joint Executive Officer M Goutami, and TTD's Chief Vigilance and Security Officer (CVSO) S Sreedhar have been transferred, according to reports.
Also Read | Tirupati temple stampede: 6 devotees killed during darshan token distribution
The chief minister has also ordered a judicial probe into the stampede, caused when the gates of Padmavathi Park , where tickets for the upcoming Vaikunta Ekadasi festival were being distributed, were opened.
Increase the ex-gratia to ₹50 lakh
Reddy consoled the injured at a local hospital and demanded the TDP government extend an ex–gratia of ₹50 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and ₹5 lakh each for the injured devotees. Naidu has announce an ex-gratia of ₹25 lakh for the families of the victim who died in the stampede.
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