Fire mishap at KCR's Yagam, President's visit cancelled

Hyderabad: It was anti-climax of sorts at the five-day-long Ayutha Mahaa Chandee Yagam embarked upon by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, what with a fire mishap that shattered the schedule of the grand finale on the last day on Sunday.

President Pranab Mukherjee, who was scheduled to participate in the yagam for Poornaahuti (complete burning of the yaga material), cancelled his visit owing to the fire accident in the last minute.

KCR was visibly perturbed over the fire accident. In fact, fire broke out in the main mantapam of the Yagam at 1.40 pm, almost an hour before the Poornaahuthi on the last day. However, no injuries or casualties occurred. The incident took place when the Chief Minister, dignitaries and the 1,500 ritiviks and devotees went for lunch.

Four fire tenders were pressed into service, which put out the fire within minutes. However, the thatched roof of the main Yaagasala was gutted.

Panic gripped the place and hundreds of devotees, who made a beeline to take a darshan of the holy fire, some ritviks and others ran helter-skelter. The police immediately stepped in and brought the situation under control.

Head of Sharada Peetham in Visakhapatnam Swaroopanandendra Swamy dubbed it as a divine intervention and Poornahuti happened naturally.

However, KCR’s son and IT Minister in Telangana Government K T Rama Rao tweeted saying that: “There was an unfortunate fire accident at the Ayutha Chandi Yagam. No casualties or injuries; the last leg of ceremony will be completed soon.”

Earlier in the day, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Union Minister of State YS Chowdary also participated in the Yagam. KCR presented Naidu with a silver idol of Chandee.

As Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP Balka Suman announced that the remaining schedule would continue as planned, the program was resumed amid the chanting of hymns by the 1,500 ritviks.

Governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh ESL Narasimhan deputized for the President at the Poornahuti event as a saving grace.

The yagam drew criticism from different political parties, except the BJP and the TDP.

It was a VVIP affair on all days, with dignitaries including spiritual gurus like Sri Sri Sri Ravishankar of Art of Living, Sri Tridandi Sreemannarayana China Jeeyar, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Bandaru Dattatreya, Maharahstra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah, Supreme Court judges Justices J Chalameswar and N V Ramana, and several others participated in the yagam.

There was a rare display of camaraderie between the TRS and the TDP leaders, who have come closer in the recent past with the foundation stone laying of Andhra Pradesh new capital Amaravathi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

KCR and family, as part of the ritual, would make a night halt at the yam site only.