Tirupati witnessed a tragedy on Wednesday night when a stampede broke out at the token counters set up for Vaikuntha Ekadashi celebrations. Six devotees, including a woman from Salem in Tamil Nadu, lost their lives and at least 40 others were injured.
The incident took place at several token issuance centres, where thousands of devotees gathered to collect entry tokens for Vaikuntha Dwaram darshan of Lord Venkateswara darshan scheduled from January 10 to 19. Though the counters were scheduled to open at 5 AM, devotees started queuing up in the early evening, leading to huge crowds.
Stampedes were reported in places like Srinivasam, Bairagipatteda Ramanaidu School, and Satyanarayanapuram. One woman died in Srinivasa, and several others fainted. The injured devotees were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed condolences and said, “Pained by the stampede in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover soon. The AP Government is providing all possible assistance to those affected.”
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who was deeply distrubed over the incident, expressed grief and responded swiftly. He spoke to officials on the phone and assessed the condition and treatment of the injured. He u will visit Tirupati on Thursday morning to meet the injured.
“CM N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the stampede situation with DGP, TTD EO, District Collector, SP. CM Naidu says the loss of lives of devotees who came for the darshan is deeply saddening. CM Naidu questioned why they could not make arrangements accordingly when it was known that devotees would come in large numbers. CM Naidu ordered officials to ensure better treatment for victims to prevent increase in the death toll,” said the CMO.
The chief minister directed senior officials to rush to the spot and supervise relief measures, ensuring proper medical treatment to the injured immediately. Authorities are now investigating the cause of the collision to prevent similar incidents in the future.
To cater to the huge influx of pilgrims, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) had announced token distribution at eight locations over three days (January 10-12). Despite the presence of TTD patrol staff and local police, the large number of people involved made crowd control difficult, raising concerns about the adequacy of security measures.
It is expected to attract lakhs of pilgrims during Vaikuntha Ekadashi celebrations through special darshan through Vaikuntha Dwaram. The TTD clarified that only valid token holders would be allowed to visit and then announced stringent measures to manage the crowds.
