Tirupati Stampede: Gate Opened for Unwell Woman Sparks Chaos and Tragedy

Photo: ANI

Two days before the Vaikuntha Ekadasi festival was set to begin at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala Hills in Andhra Pradesh, a massive crowd gathered at over 90 ticket counters set up for the event. The counters were part of the preparations for the distribution of tokens for "sarva darshan," which is the free darshan (viewing) of Lord Venkateswara Swamy. The tokens were to be given to devotees for the first three days of the festival, running from January 10 to 12.

The arrangements were made to distribute a total of 1,20,000 tokens over those days. The tokens were supposed to be handed out starting at 5 am on Thursday, but thousands of people showed up at the counters a day earlier, on Wednesday night, hoping to get the tokens as soon as possible.

The distribution was set up at 94 counters spread across three pilgrim lodges—Vishnu Nivasam, Srinivasam, and Bhudevi complexes. Additional counters were placed at various locations in Tirupati, including Satyanarayanapuram, Bairagipatteda, and Ramanaidu School.

However, things got out of hand at the counter set up at MGM High School in Bairagipatteda, which is near Vishnu Nivasam. Around 4,000 to 5,000 people crowded the counter starting from Wednesday morning. By evening, the situation became chaotic as people began pushing and jostling to get their tokens.

According to BR Naidu, the chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the chaos began when a gate was opened to help a woman who was feeling unwell. This caused the crowd to rush forward all at once, creating a stampede. The lack of proper crowd management led to the situation becoming uncontrollable.

The stampede, which occurred late Wednesday evening, resulted in the tragic loss of at least six lives, with more than 40 people injured. Tirupati Collector S Venkateswar mentioned that it took around 15 minutes to get the crowd under control and evacuate the area.

The Vaikuntha Ekadasi festival allows devotees to pray to Lord Venkateswara from the northern entrance of the temple. The incident has shaken the entire region, with leaders expressing their condolences. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives and sent his thoughts to those who lost loved ones. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged party workers to offer any help they could in this difficult time.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also expressed his shock and sorrow. In a message, he said that the incident deeply disturbed him. "The death of several devotees in a stampede near Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati has shocked me. This tragic incident happened at a time when large numbers of devotees had gathered for tokens, and it has left me deeply disturbed," he wrote in a post in Telugu.

The tragic incident highlights the need for better crowd control and safety measures, especially during such important religious events.

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