Give ₹1 crore as compensation, government job for kin of deceased in Tirupati stampede: CPM leader

Civil society groups demand justice and accountability for the tragic stampede at Tirupati, criticizing VIP culture and lax security measures.

Members of Tirupati Poura Sanghala Samakhya, a consortium of civil society organisations, took out a candlelight rally in the city in memory of the deceased devotees involved in the stampede on Thursday.

CPM district leader Kandharapu Murali, who called the stampede an ‘indelible blot’ that would remain forever on the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), demanded ₹1 crore as compensation and government job for the kin of the deceased. He called for an end to the ‘VIP culture’ prevalent at Tirumala which he alleged led to the demise of the common pilgrims.

Republican Party of India (RPI) president P. Anjaiah, CPI district leader Chinnam Penchalaiah, Congress leader Mangati Gopal Reddy, All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) district secretary P. Sai Lakshmi participated in the rally.

Opposition parties minced no words in blaming the State government as well as the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) management for ‘laxity’ in handling the crowd gathered to get the ‘Vaikunta Dwara Darshan’ tokens in Tirupati.

Communist Party of India (CPI) secretary K. Narayana flayed the TTD officials and the local police for not working in unity, leading to the stampede.

TTD Trust Board former Chairman and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Tirupati district president Bhumana Karunakar Reddy blamed the lack of coordination between TTD’s vigilance sleuths and the district police for the incident. “The officials reviewed the arrangements for the last ten days, but botched up the execution part,” he said.

Former Minister for Tourism and Culture R.K. Roja called it a failure of the alliance government and demanded criminal cases should be filed on those found responsible for the stampede. In a veiled reference to Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, who had vowed to stand up for ‘Sanatana Dharma’, Ms. Roja wondered where the ‘Sanatana warrior’ had gone when the deaths happened in the first-of-its-kind stampede in Tirupati.