Tirupati: The State Cabinet which met in Amaravati on Thursday has decided to act against two officials held responsible for the stampede that claimed six lives during the Vaikunta Ekadasi token distribution in Tirupati earlier this year. The move comes after a detailed judicial inquiry report revealed critical lapses in crowd control at a key token distribution site.

The stampede, which occurred on January 8 at Sri Padmavati Park, one of the designated centres for issuing Vaikunta Dwara Darshan tokens, had triggered public outcry over mismanagement and poor safety planning by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and local police. The tragedy also left several devotees injured and raised questions about the preparedness of the authorities.

Following months of investigation, a one-man judicial commission headed by retired High Court judge Justice Satyanarayana Murthy submitted a comprehensive 200-page report to the government earlier this month. The report scrutinised the chain of events leading to the stampede, pinpointing procedural lapses and administrative negligence at Padmavati Park.

According to the findings, while general coordination between Tirupati Urban SP L Subbarayudu and former TTD Chief Vigilance and Security Officer (CVSO) S Sreedhar was found to be satisfactory, with both implementing safety measures at most distribution points – the failure to enforce crowd control protocols specifically at Padmavati Park was the root cause of the incident.

The report singles out the then SV Dairy Farm Director Harinath Reddy and DSP AV Ramana Kumar for ignoring directives from their superiors and ordering the gates to be opened prematurely.

This action, the inquiry noted, led to an uncontrollable rush of devotees, resulting in the fatal stampede. It was learnt that the Cabinet recommended further proceedings against these two officials. Alarmingly, the Commission also highlighted shortcomings in emergency response. Although two ambulances were present at the location, they were not used efficiently to transport the injured. Five of the six deaths were reportedly due to delayed medical attention, raising further concerns over crisis preparedness.

In course of the probe, the commission summoned TTD Executive Officer J Syamala Rao, District Collector S Venkateswar, former JEO M Gowthami, former SP L Subbarayudu and other officials both from the government and TTD. The commission also took note of the views of those injured in the stampede and the kin of the deceased.