The police have detained Vuyyuru Srinivas, the organiser of the event in Guntur where three women died in a stampede even as TDP called it a failure of the state government and a conspiracy of the ruling YSRCP and demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident.

Srinivas was detained by the police at Eluru road in Vijayawada on Monday while a case has already been registered against him for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

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According to YSRCP’s mouthpiece, Srinivas was trying to flee to Hyderabad. Vuyyuru Srinivas, an NRI TDP supporter is also said to be an aspirant for the ticket for Guntur seat and had sponsored the Sankranthi gifts, ration kits and sarees. A case was also registered against Srinivasa Rao, the administrator of Vayyuru Foundation which had organised the programme.

The stampede occurred after TDP chief N Chandrababu left the meeting. A large number of women had gathered from 2 pm while Naidu arrived after 5 pm. By then the crowd had become restive. There was panic when it was announced that kits will be delivered to their homes later on. Feeling that they might not get anything after waiting for so long as people broke queues and rushed forward, iron railings came crashing down on the women.

Yesterday, the TDP had released a statement of its chief disassociating the party from the charitable programme. “It is really painful that three persons died in the stampede that took place after I left for the venue as the programme was completed. I attended the programme only to encourage that voluntary organisation which is trying to help the poor,” said Naidu.

Later, TDP state president Atchen Naidu blamed the state government for the incident, saying, “Was it not the duty of the state government to provide security when so many people were attending the programme which had a former chief minister as the chief guest?”

As YSRCP ministers started blaming Naidu, TDP changed its tack saying unable to digest the huge crowds at Naidu’s rallies the state government has resorted to such incidents.

TDP leader Varla Ramaiah wondered how YSRCP ministers reached the spot so fast and said: “I am asking whether the ruling YSRCP was well aware of it much earlier that this incident was going to happen. Was the chief minister aware? This is certainly a conspiracy to cause damage to the meetings of Chandrababu Naidu.”

State BJP president Somu Veerraju also blamed the organisers for the tragedy pointing fingers at the insatiable appetite for power. YSRCP leaders not only blamed Naidu for the mishap and demanded that he must take moral responsibility for luring a large number of women with fake promises and then failing to make proper arrangements, they also wanted him to be named as the first accused in the case.