TIRUPATI: Owning moral responsibility for the stampede at Vaikunta Dwara Sarva Darshan token distribution centre in Tirupati, in which six devotees were killed, Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan tendered his heartfelt apology to the people of the State for the mishap.
Speaking to the media on Thursday after inspecting the site of the stampede, and consoling the injured devotees at hospital, Pawan Kalyan said, “We deeply regret this unfortunate incident. The State government takes full responsibility, and seeks forgiveness from the injured, the families of the deceased, devotees of Lord Venkateswara, and all those who hold Hindu traditions dear.”
The Deputy Chief Minister admitted lapses in crowd management at the token distribution centre, which led to the chaos despite the presence of TTD staff and police. “This tragedy could have been averted. The TTD should prioritise the needs of common devotees, not just VIPs,” he said, urging TTD officials to personally visit the families of the deceased to apologise for their failure in crowd management.
Some TTD officials attributed the stampede to the toke distribution centre’s location near the highway, which resulted in an overwhelming influx of devotees. After inspecting the site, Pawan Kalyan sought explanation from the officials for their failure in crowd management, questioning why devotees were forced into queues all at once. He emphasised the need for stringent safety protocols to prevent such incidents in the future.
“This incident is a stark reminder that we should enhance our crowd management measures to ensure the safety of devotees. We should ensure that such tragedies do not recur in the future,” he said.