VIJAYAWADA: In a tragic incident, a devotee from Hyderabad visiting the Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada on Friday died just before having his darshan.
The 57-year-old devotee G. Sri Rama Chandra Murthy had reached the temple at 11:20 a.m. for darshan. But he collapsed before he could have a glimpse of the Goddess.
NTR district health and medical officer Dr. M. Suhasini said doctors from the health camp set up atop the Indrakeeladri hill immediately examined the devotee and gave him basic life support. He was then shifted to Government General Hospital in an ambulance. Doctors there examined and declared Sri Rama Chandra Murthy as brought dead. The deceased was a diabetic and cardiac patient.
On the day, endowments Minister Kottu Satyanarayana inspected the queue lines of devotees on Friday. He got angry when he found police personnel taking their family members for darshan while a huge crowd of devotees had been waiting in the queue.
Ruling YSRC MLA and former minister Vellampalli Srinivas Rao too expressed anger as police allowed only his vehicle atop the hill while stopping the other three vehicles in his convoy. The MLA ended up creating a big scene, following which police allowed the remaining vehicles too.
Telangana animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav visited the Durga temple on Friday and performed poojas.
