Tirupati stampede: Andhra CM Naidu to visit injured in hospitals
Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will leave for Tirupati on Thursday to visit those injured in a stampede, sources said.
Six devotees died and over 40 were injured in the stampede on Wednesday night as hundreds of them jostled for tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala Hills.
Naidu will be visiting SVR Ruia Government General Hospital and SVIMS Hospital between noon and 3 pm, where the injured are being treated, sources said.
The CM will also conduct a review meeting with the Executive Officer and others over the incident.
Tirupati district collector S Venkateswar on Wednesday told reporters that out of the six deceased devotees, five were women and a man.
One deceased person came from Salem in Tamil Nadu and another from Narsipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, he said.
According to the collector, the incident occurred at Bairagi Patteda near MGM School in the temple town.
Hundreds of devotees turned up from across the country for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam commencing from January 10.
"A few devotees dying in a stampede near Vishnu Nivasam in Tirupati while trying for Vaikuna Dwara Darsanam has grieved me intensely," Chandrababu Naidu had said in a post on 'X'.
Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday night expressed deep shock over the death of devotees in the stampede that took place in Tirupati.
Reddy expressed his condolences to the bereaved family members and urged the Andhra Pradesh government to provide better medical treatment to the injured.
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Lokayukta arrests Hassan Municipal Commissioner, Bengaluru official in bribery cases
Bengaluru, Jan 9: Hassan City Municipal Commissioner T N Narasimha Murthy was caught red-handed by Lokayukta officials while accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh from a contractor on Thursday.
Along with Murthy, engineer Venkatesh was also arrested.
According to the Lokayukta, the trap was laid following a complaint by contractor Sunil Kumar.
The Commissioner had allegedly demanded the Rs 1.5 lakh bribe for clearing a bill.
As soon as Murthy accepted the money, Lokayukta officials apprehended him.
"The accused persons have been secured, and the bribe amount has been recovered. The investigation is ongoing," the Lokayukta said in a statement.
In a similar action in Bengaluru, the Lokayukta team arrested Suresh, the Office Superintendent of Karnataka Appellate Tribunal, Hall-5, for taking a bribe of Rs 60,000 on Thursday.
Complainant Basavaraju Nadikeshwara Matha from Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district alleged that Suresh had demanded the bribe to secure a stay on an order issued by the Court of Additional Registrar of Cooperative Societies in Hubballi.
"The accused was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe money, and an investigation is ongoing," the Lokayukta added.
