Day After Tirupati Stampede, 2 FIRs Lodged By Family Of Victims

The incident has sparked criticism from opposition leaders, with former TTD Chairman Bhuma Karunakar Reddy blaming the Chandrababu Naidu-led government for the stampede at Vishnu Nivasam in Tirupati.

Mortal remains of victims of a stampede, that broke out late Wednesday night at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple, being handed over to their families for burial, in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.

Source : PTI

After the deaths of several devotees amid the Vaikunta Ekadasi celebrations in Andhra Pradesh's temple town, the Tirupati East Police registered two separate FIRs on Thursday. The incidents took place on Wednesday at multiple locations across the city due to overcrowding.

According to a report by news agency ANI, the first case pertains to R. Malliga, a 50-year-old resident of Mettur Salem district in Tamil Nadu, who collapsed while waiting in a queue for darshan tokens at Vishnunivasam. P Srinivasulu, a Tahsildar from Balaiahpalli Mandal, filed a complaint stating that Malliga fainted amidst the crowd of devotees.

She was immediately taken to Sri Venkateswara Ramnarain Ruia Government General Hospital (SVRRGG) in Tirupati but was declared dead upon arrival. The police attributed the incident to overcrowding and the victim's pre-existing health condition. According to the FIR, "When other devotees rushed towards the queue line in that time due to her ill health she fell on the ground."

In a separate FIR filed by M. Jayaramulu, a 61-year-old Tahsildar from Narayanavanam Mandal, the deaths of five more devotees were reported. The victims were identified as Smt. Kandipilli Santhi (35) from Visakhapatnam, Guddla Rajini (45), Boddeti Naidu Babu (55), Suri Setty Lavanya Swathi (37), and Nirmala from Tamil Nadu.

TTD Chairman Bhuma Karunakar Reddy Attributes Disaster To Administrative Failure

As per the complaint, the victims were waiting in line for darshan tokens at Padmavathi Park near Ramanaidu School when a sudden surge in the queue caused them to fall. They were rushed to Sri Venkateswara Ramnarain Ruia Government General Hospital (SVRRGG), where doctors declared them dead.

The incident has sparked criticism from opposition leaders, with former TTD Chairman Bhuma Karunakar Reddy blaming the Chandrababu Naidu-led government for the stampede at Vishnu Nivasam in Tirupati. Reddy attributed the disaster to administrative failure and expressed grief over losing lives.

He also questioned the lack of adequate arrangements for Vaikuntha Ekadashi Darshan, despite the anticipated attendance of lakhs of devotees. The stampede at the Tirupati Temple resulted in the killing of six and leaving 40 others injured.