Tirupati Stampede – CM Takes Action, Suspends Officials

The AP government has taken action in the aftermath of the tragic incident in which six devotees lost their lives while attempting to have darshan at the Vaikuntha Dwara in Tirumala. CM Chandrababu Naidu made a key announcement regarding disciplinary actions against the officials responsible for the incident.

As per the government’s decision, two officials—DSP Ramana Kumar, who exhibited extreme negligence in managing the crowd, and Gosala Director Harinadha Reddy, who failed in his responsibilities—have been suspended. Additionally, Tirupati district SP Subbarayudu, TTD JEO Gautami, and Chief Security Officer Sridhar have been transferred.

TTD had made extensive arrangements for the distribution of darshan tokens in both Tirumala and Tirupati. However, despite the arrangements, devotees began flooding the area early Wednesday morning, surpassing TTD’s projections. As time passed, the number of devotees only grew, leading to chaos. When TTD announced that token distribution would begin on Thursday morning, the crowd at the counter in Bairagipatteda became overwhelming.

In response, DSP Ramana Kumar issued orders to release all devotees at once, which led to the stampede. This mismanagement was the primary reason for his suspension. Furthermore, Gosala Director Harinadha Reddy was also suspended for his apparent indifference while overseeing the situation.

The police department was heavily criticized for failing to adequately control the increasing crowd in Tirupati. As the head of the district police, SP Subbarayudu has been transferred for his failure to provide sufficient security. TTD JEO Gautami, who was supposed to monitor the situation closely and report it to higher authorities to make necessary adjustments, also failed to do so and has thus been transferred. Similarly, Chief Security Officer Sridhar was transferred due to his failure to relay critical crowd-related information to the police.

As per the preliminary investigation, the government has taken action against five officials involved in the incident.