A day after six persons died in the Tirupati stampede, the Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday announced a judicial inquiry into the incident that seems to have been the result of a policeman's innocuous act of opening the gate with the intention of aiding a sick woman.
People were waiting to receive tokens for a holy event at the famous Lord Venkateswara Swamy shrine on Tirumala hills for January 10 when tragedy struck.
Following complaints by revenue officials, two FIRs were registered in connection with the stampede which has also left dozens injured.
They were registered under Section 194 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) which deals with unnatural deaths, a senior police official said.
The government announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh each to the kin of victims of a virtually unprecedented incident that prompted deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan to apologise to the nation and the Hindu community.
Heads rolled after Chief Mininster N Chandrababu Naidu took serious note of the matter and sought accountability from officials concerned.
He visited the accident spot and also met the injured persons and comforted them.
Survivors recounted horrific moments of the tragedy, recalling the crowd surge that led to the stampede while some others complained of long waiting hours to get tickets for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam, slated for Friday.
Naidu announced a judicial inquiry into the stampede, and transferred three senior officials including the district Superintendent of Police.
One deputy SP, who was on the spot, has been suspended.
Expressing grief over the Wednesday night incident, Naidu also announced Rs 2 lakh to those injured.
Addressing a press conference, he also attacked the previous YSRCP for changing practices in the temple.
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.
"In the past, so many problems have come up. We are correcting everything, starting with prasadam (consecrated food), annadanam (free food to devotees), even cottages, administration and everything. All of a sudden this incident happened."
"This incident also happened due to a legacy problem. Never in my lifetime tokens were given in Tirupati for 'darshan' (to see the deity). For the last five years, they (YSRCP) introduced new practices," Naidu said, without directly naming the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led party.
He further said he noticed some loopholes in the administration and monitoring mechanisms in Tirupati which should have been 'perfect'. Naidu also said no 'adequate precautions' were taken while opening the gates and that triggered the incident.
He also urged there should be no politics over the incident.
The DSP reportedly opened the gate to help a sick woman come out of the area where the devotees were waiting. However, the crowd apparently thought that the gate had been opened and rushed out, resulting in the stampede.
A senior police official said the DSP should have opened the gate with utmost care and as per procedure.
"His intentions might have beeen good. But it caused a disaster," he told PTI.
A survivor, D Venkata Lakshmi said, "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."
People rushed forward and up to 10 people fell where she was standing, she said.
Naidu's deputy, Pawan Kalyan said some devotees expressed doubts that the stampede must have been staged and that some policemen who should be the first responders, did not act on time.
"To the entire nation, to the entire country, to the entire Sanatani believers, to Hindu Samaj, from the state government (side), I profusely (apologise), my wholehearted apologies for what had happened. It is the responsibility of the TTD EO (executive officer) and JEO," he told reporters.
Senior YSRCP leader and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman B Karunakar Reddy demanded that CM Naidu should own moral responsibility for the Tirupati stampede and initiate stringent action against the officials responsible.
The Congress' state unit held the TTD that governs the Lord Venkatswara temple, responsible for the tragedy and called for immediate probe into the incident
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.
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