Pawan Kalyan Issues Apology on Behalf of Government Following Tirupati Stampede
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Tirupati, Jan 9 (NationPress) - On Thursday, Andhra Pradesh's Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan conveyed his apologies to the public representing the state government for the tragic stampede in Tirupati, which led to the loss of six lives during the distribution of special darshan tickets for the Tirumala temple.
After visiting the site of the stampede and speaking with the injured at the hospital, he informed the media that a mistake had occurred, and the government accepted accountability for it.
"The state government is expressing regret to the injured, the citizens of the state, devotees of Venkateswara Swamy, and all who uphold Hindu dharma. This occurrence should have been avoided," he stated.
The Jana Sena leader, who engaged with those injured, noted their grievances regarding inadequate crowd management.
"It is disheartening that six lives were lost despite the presence of TTD staff and police. The TTD should prioritize the welfare of regular devotees over VIPs," he remarked, urging TTD officials to visit the bereaved families and extend their apologies.
The actor-politician also emphasized that the TTD Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer, and attending police personnel should bear responsibility for the incident.
He pointed out that the government was bearing the consequences of the officials' oversights.
He also highlighted the lack of a contingency plan for emergency relief during a stampede situation.
Pawan Kalyan insisted that officials must take measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. He expressed concerns over possible deliberate actions by certain police personnel, advocating for a thorough investigation.
The Deputy Chief Minister mentioned there seems to be a disconnect between the EO, AEO, and the governing council of the TTD.
"Why did this occur despite the presence of numerous police officials? I will bring this neglect within the police department to the attention of the CM and the DGP," he asserted.
Pawan Kalyan proposed reducing the darshan duration at Tirumala from 8-9 hours to just 1-2 hours.
The stampede happened on Wednesday night near the Vishnu Nivasam temple, where the TTD had established counters for distributing tokens for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam during the annual Vaikunta Ekadashi festival, which commences on January 10.
During this 10-day festival, devotees are granted a special darshan of the deity through the northern entrance.
Thousands of devotees from various states queued at the counters since Wednesday evening, even though token distribution was scheduled to begin Thursday morning.
As one of the gates was opened to assist a distressed woman, the crowd surged forward, resulting in the stampede that tragically claimed six lives and left 48 others injured.
The TTD had organized the distribution of 120,000 tokens for the first three days of the festival (January 10–12), with special counters established at 94 locations throughout Tirupati.
