Tirupati stampede: A stampede during ticket distribution for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple resulted in 6 deaths, when a large number of devotees, who turned up from across the country, gathered for tickets for the annual Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala Hills.
What Led To Tirupati Stampede
The 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam (darshan of the deity from the northern entrance of the temple) commences from January 10. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which oversees temple operations, had set up special counters to distribute darshan tokens for the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival on January 9, The Indian Express reported.
These tokens, allowing devotees to visit Lord Venkateswara, were being handed out at MGM High School in Bairagipatteda, near the Vishnu Nivasam temple in Tirupati.
Thousands of devotees began lining up at the counters from Wednesday morning, and by evening, the crowd had become unruly with pushing and jostling.
Officials told that the TTD made arrangements for the distribution of 120,000 tokens to the devotees for the “sarva darshan” (free darshan) of Lord Venkateshwara Swamy for the first three days of the annual darshan on January 10 to 12.
The distribution arrangements were made at 94 counters at three pilgrim lodges — Vishnu Nivasam, Srinivasam, and Bhudevi complexes, besides other places like Satyanarayanapuram, Bairagipatteda and Ramanaidu school, in Tirupati, officials said.
Chaos broke out at Srinivasam to get the tokens for the annual pilgrimage. “This resulted in a stampede-like situation, as the pilgrims surged forward towards the counters to get the tokens,” the official added.
Political Row Over Tirupati Stampede
Soon after the incident, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu took to his social media account to mourn the deaths. He wrote, “the death of several devotees in a stampede near Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati for tokens to visit Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara has shocked me. This tragic incident, which took place at a time when devotees had gathered in large numbers for tokens, deeply disturbed me. In the wake of information that the condition of some of them is critical, I have directed higher officials to go to the spot and take relief measures… to provide better medical treatment to the injured and save their lives. I am talking to the district and TTD officials from time to time and am taking stock of the situation”.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (January 8, 2025) said the stampede in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati temple is deeply saddening and urged the Congress workers to provide all possible assistance in this difficult time.
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