'We take full responsibility': Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan after FIR blames crowd for Tirupati stampede that left 6 dead

Six people died and several others were injured in the stampede in Tirupati on Wednesday. (Image: Screengrab/ANI video)

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Thursday said that his government takes full responsibility for the stampede that broke out near Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan ticketing centers in Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati killing six persons on Wednesday.

"We take full responsibility for the incident.. We are not running away from any responsibility. I assure you that appropriate action will be taken against the guilty," Kalyan said speaking to CNN-News18.

The remarks by the Deputy CM came amid intense criticism of the Andhra Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the trust managing the temple affairs.

Earlier, one of the two FIRs filed by the Tirupati police in the stampede that killed six people and injured several others on Wednesday evening sought to lay the blame on the crowd for the tragedy. The FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint registered by the Narayanavanam Mandal tahsildar M Jayaramulu at the Tirupati East police station.

The FIR was filed under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. "When two or more persons, by fighting in a public place, disturb the public peace, they are said to commit an affray," the section reads.

In his complaint, the tahsildar said the deceased had gone to Sri Ramanaidu School to collect tokens for the darshan of Lord Venkateshwara during the auspicious Vaikunta Ekadasi and were waiting at Sri Padmavathi Park when a sudden rush of devotees caused devotees to trip and fall.

They were taken to the hospital where they were pronounced dead, it adds. The first FIR identified five victims while the sixth victim was identified later.

The incident occurred in the presence of over 4,000 devotees and huge rush to get tokens for the 10-day special darshan. According to the details of the incident shared by an eyewitness, the stampede occurred due to the overwhelming rush of pilgrims when the police opened the gates for token distribution, adding that there was no such system for obtaining tokens earlier.

"A stampede occurred due to the heavy rush. As soon as the Police officials opened the gate, the pilgrims rushed to purchase tokens. There was no such system for obtaining tokens earlier. Out of twenty members of my family, six have been injured. We joined the queue at 11 o'clock. While waiting in the queue, we were provided with milk and biscuits. However, a large number of male pilgrims rushed for tokens, causing injuries to several women, who were then shifted to the hospital," she said speaking to the media.

A stampede broke out near Vishnu Nivasam in Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati on Wednesday evening, according to officials from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). The incident occurred near Vishnu Niwasam close to the Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara ticketing counter, during the distribution of 'darshan' tokens.

Chief Minister Naidu visited Tirupati today to meet the injured and also reviewed the management and security of TTD token counters, where the incident took place. Naidu said he was "deeply disturbed" and ordered officials to ensure proper relief measures for those injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid his condolences to the relatives of those dead in the incident.

The Andhra Pradesh government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 25 lakh each for the families of the six devotees who tragically died in the stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati.