YSRCP rejects the judicial commission's report in the Tirupati stampede case, demanding a CBI investigation. The party has called it pre-planned and biased, accusing it of protecting high-ranking officials.
Tirupati Stampede: The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has completely rejected the judicial commission's report on the Tirupati temple stampede. The party states that this report is one-sided, pre-planned, and biased, aimed at concealing the truth and protecting certain select officials.
Former TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) chairman and senior YSRCP leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy clarified the party's position on this issue through a press conference. He alleged that the judicial commission's report only made lower-level officials scapegoats, omitting several big names associated with the responsibility.
Which officers were blamed?
According to Karunakar Reddy, the report directly accuses two officials, Harinath Reddy and Raman Kumar, and recommends criminal action against them.
The accident occurred on the occasion of Vaikuntha Ekadashi, in which six people died and more than 29 devotees were injured. The report has been approved by the state cabinet, but the YSRCP alleges that this is just a show and an attempt is being made to protect those who are truly responsible.
Why were senior officials left out?
The YSR Congress Party questioned why the report did not name the senior officials of TTD, the revenue department, and the police department who were responsible for the crowd control arrangements.
Bhumana Karunakar Reddy said that this entire case is a symbol of "selective targeting" and the commission has deliberately ignored the real culprits. He called it a "case study" that could affect the investigation of all future accidents.
Why was the previous government's system canceled?
Questions were also raised about the extended darshan system implemented by the previous government. Reddy said that the YSRCP government had implemented the system of extended darshan for ten days after consulting religious leaders, which divided the crowd pressure and reduced the possibility of accidents.
He claimed that the current coalition government canceled that effective system, which led to a stampede-like situation. He said that the new system completely failed to control the crowd of devotees.
Ticket counter and other discrepancies
Bhumana Karunakar Reddy also raised questions about several decisions related to accommodation arrangements, ticket distribution, and crowd management on the day of the stampede. He said that Harinath Reddy was suspended while Suryaprakash, the officer present at the ticket counter at the same time, was completely let off.
Reddy called it a clear failure of justice and said that such action was taken only to protect those who are in high positions and under political patronage.
YSRCP's demand: CBI investigation should be conducted
The YSR Congress Party demands that the entire matter be investigated by the CBI. The party believes that the truth cannot come out until an independent agency investigates the matter in depth.
A CBI investigation would allow a fair review of the role of all the officials who have been omitted from the current report. The YSRCP also says that this case is not just of negligence but of an organized administrative failure.
