Two Officials Held Responsible for Tirupati Stampede in January
Their decision to open a gate “triggered the stampede”, killing six persons and injuries to many
Tirupati: The state cabinet on Thursday decided to take disciplinary action against two officials for the January 8 stampede in Tirupati.
This, after the weekly cabinet meeting discussed the report submitted by the one-man judicial commission that investigated the causes of the stampede. The incident, which resulted in the death of six persons and injuries to many more pilgrims, happened during token-distribution for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshan at the Tirumala temple.
Based on the commission’s findings, the cabinet concluded that negligence by then SV Dairy Farm director Harinath Reddy and DSP AV Ramana Kumar contributed to the mishandling of crowd control.
The commission, headed by former high court judge Justice Satyanarayana Murthy, submitted a 200-page report to the chief secretary on July 11.
According to the report, the overall coordination between then Tirupati Urban SP, L Subba Reddy, and then TTD chief vigilance and security officer S Sreedhar was adequate. Both officials were given a clean chit for implementing necessary safety measures across major locations.
However, it said, the fatal stampede took place due to lapses at the Padmavati Park in Bairagipatteda. The crowd control arrangements “failed there.”
Despite the presence of TTD and police personnel at the site, it said, the “standard crowd management protocols were not followed.” Harinath Reddy and Ramana Kumar “failed to implement instructions issued by senior officials.”
The commission said their decision to open a gate triggered the fatal stampede.
The report also observed that although two ambulances were stationed at the location, they were not effectively used, leading to delays in providing medical assistance. Five of the six deaths were attributed to this delay.
After reviewing the commission’s recommendations, the state cabinet directed that disciplinary action be initiated against the two officials for dereliction of duty.
The details of the judicial inquiry, conducted over several months, were compiled in three volumes. These included statements from the TTD and district officials, staff and devotees. The inquiry traced the sequence of events and identified operational failures that led to the tragedy.
