Tirupati, Jan 9: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday visited the stampede spot in Tirupati that claimed the lives of six devotees and pulled up officials for failing to make proper arrangements for the distribution of tokens for an annual event at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple.

Soon after landing at Renigunta Airport, the Chief Minister drove to Vishnu Nivasam and later to Padmavati Park, where two separate incidents of stampede took place.

Accompanied by ministers, he went around the two places and asked officials including the District Collector, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Executive Officer, Joint Executive Officer and police officials why they failed to anticipate a huge turnout of devotees and accordingly make arrangements.

Visibly unhappy with the officials, the Chief Minister inquired about the incident and the arrangements made by the TTD and district administration for the distribution of tokens for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam.

The Chief Minister asked TTD Executive Officer Shyamala Rao why he did not use technology and took other steps for crowd control for the smooth conduct of the token distribution.

CM Naidu told TTD officials to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future. The Chief Minister later visited TTD-run SVIMS Hospital and called on the injured.

He assured them that the government would extend all possible help.

A total of 48 persons were injured in the stampede. They were initially shifted to SVR Ruia Hospital. Of them, 35 were shifted to SVIMS Hospital for better treatment.

Meanwhile, police registered two cases in connection with the stampedes at Padmavati Park and Vishnu Nivasam.

Earlier, Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad, who is in charge of Tirupati district, visited the SVIMS hospital along with his cabinet colleagues and announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh each for the families of the deceased.

State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Irrigation Minister Nimmala Rama Naidu and Information and Public Relations Minister K. Parthasarathy visited the hospital.

The bodies of the deceased were being sent to their home towns after autopsy. The deceased were identified as S. Lavanya (38), Kandipalli Santhi (33), G. Rajini (47) (all from Visakhapatnam), Malliga (50) of Tamil Nadu), Buddeti Naidu Babu (55) of Narsipatnam and V. Nirmala (55) from Kerala.

Bhubaneswar, Jan 9: Spotlighting the country’s march towards becoming a ‘Viksit Bharat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday sought the participation of the diaspora in making India a developed nation by 2047.

“India got independence in 1947 and our diaspora played a big role in this. They contributed towards the freedom of India while living abroad. Now we have a target of making India a developed nation by 2047,” said Prime Minister Modi while speaking at the inaugural session of 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

Praising the Indian diaspora for its contribution in India’s growth, the PM said that it is due to their hard work that the country has become number one in the world in terms of remittances.

Asserting that India is not limited to big cities only, he mentioned that a large part of the population resides in tier-2, tier-3 cities and villages and the diaspora should promote ‘heritage tourism’ of India in the countries they are residing.

“There’s a lot of Indian culture there. We have to connect the world with this heritage,” stated PM Modi.

He appealed to the diaspora to visit the amazing tourist destinations located in small towns, villages of India and later share their experiences with friends and ensure they also visit India.

“You have to come forward to let the people of the country you are living in know the real history of India. Today’s generation in those countries does not know our prosperity in the past, the long periods of subjugation and our struggles. You all can let the world know the true history of India,” the PM said.

PM Modi noted that India is following the mantra of development along with heritage. He said that the Indian government during the G-20 event organised various meetings in every nook and corner of the country so that the world could get a first-hand experience of India’s diversity. He informed the gathering that the Indian government has decided to establish Thiruvalluvar Culture Centres to propagate the thoughts of Saint Thiruvalluvar.

Referring to the collection and digitisation of documents related to some people of Gujarati origin who settled in Oman centuries back, PM Modi said “the history of the Indian diaspora has spread across the world, the stories of how they reached that country and made their mark there is a significant legacy of India. You also have so many interesting and inspiring stories. It needs to be shown, heard and cherished. This is our shared legacy, shared heritage.”

In his address, the Prime Minister also urged the diaspora to popularise the local products produced in India in the countries they are living.

“You also have a big role in making India’s local products global. You must buy Made in India food packets, Made in India clothes and any such thing,” the PM appealed.

Calling the diaspora members as ambassadors of India, he assured them that the current government has always stood by them in times of crisis.

“Your safety and welfare are a top priority. We consider it our responsibility to help our diaspora during crisis situations, no matter where they are. This is one of the guiding principles of India’s foreign policy today,” said the PM.

Highlighting Odisha’s heritage, PM Modi said, “This land reflects India’s rich legacy, with sites like the Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves, the Konark Temple, and ancient ports such as Tamralipti and Manikpatna. These treasures evoke immense pride.”

Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch has made startling revelations in the chargesheet filed in the special MCOCA court regarding the high-profile murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique. According to the chargesheet, the ₹17 lakh contract killing was majorly funded from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, with the Bishnoi gang playing a crucial role.

Details Revealed

Crime Branch sources revealed that the money trail investigation pointed to Anmol Bishnoi and Shubham Lonkar, who orchestrated the funding through accounts opened at Karnataka Bank’s Anand branch in Gujarat under the name of accused Salman Vohra. Lonkar was tasked with handling deposits into this account, while sleeper cells of the Bishnoi gang in Uttar Pradesh transferred funds using Cash Deposit Machines (CDM) into different accounts linked to the conspirators.

Approximately 60-70% of the funding came from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and no evidence of foreign funding has been discovered so far. However, a portion of the funds reportedly reached the accused via hawala networks.

While the Maharashtra funding trail has been traced, investigators are still piecing together the financial connections from Uttar Pradesh.

The chargesheet also details the meticulous planning and surveillance carried out by the shooters. According to shooter Shiv Kumar Gautam, after two months of reconnaissance, frustration was building as they failed to find the right moment to attack. The final opportunity came on October 12, and the assassination would have been abandoned had it not materialized that day.

The chargesheet states that the shooters anticipated a police chase post-shooting. To evade capture, they purchased a pepper spray worth ₹13,000, which they kept handy. Evidence gathered by the Crime Branch supports the claim that Gautam fired at Baba Siddique, while Gurmel Singh used the spray on pursuing police officers. The planning, weapons procurement, and use of unconventional tactics like pepper spray demonstrate the sophisticated strategy behind the murder.

This chilling case continues to unfold as police pursue additional leads in the money trail and remaining accomplices linked to the Bishnoi gang.