Andhra Pradesh govt appoints inquiry commission to probe recent stampedes

The Andhra Pradesh government late on Saturday night constituted a one-man Commission of Inquiry to probe into the circumstances that led to two incidents of stampede in which 11 persons were killed in recent days.

The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) will be headed by Justice B Seshasayana Reddy, a retired judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, an order issued by Chief Secretary K S Jawahar Reddy said.

The CoI has been asked to submit its report in a month.

Eight persons were killed in a stampede at Kandukuru town in SPS Nellore district on December 28, 2022 during a political meeting of Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

On January 1, three persons were killed in a stampede at a free gift distribution programme, wherein the tragedy occurred some time after former chief minister Naidu had left the venue.

The state government has now appointed the CoI to inquire into the "circumstances leading to the stampedes and the persons responsible therefore and whether there were any shortcomings in the arrangements made and also any violations in the permissions granted".

The CoI has also been asked to recommend if any institutional mechanisms and safeguards need to be put in place, in addition to the existing measures, so as to prevent occurrence of such grave tragedies in future, according to the Chief Secretary's order.