Behind stampede at Tirupati that killed 6, rush to collect special tokens, attempt to let an unwell woman exit

The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into the incident. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the affairs at the temple, had arranged for special counters to issue tokens for darshan on the occasion of the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival on January 9.

The tokens for the darshan of Lord Venkateswara were being distributed at the MGM High School at Bairagipatteda in Tirupati, located close to the Vishnu Nivasam temple. Thousands of devotees seeking the tokens started gathering at the counters on Wednesday morning, and by evening, there was already pushing and jostling.

B R Naidu, chairman of the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD), said the stampede was triggered when the gate was opened to let out a woman who was feeling uneasy, but the gathered devotees pushed in all at once.

#WATCH | Andhra Pradesh | Visuals from outside Sri Venkateswara Ramnarayan Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati where the injured of the stampede that occurred at Vishnu Nivasam in Tirupati are admitted.

Four people have lost their lives in the stampede. pic.twitter.com/iLC5WHPfvP

— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2025

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said he is saddened at the “ghastly incident in which pilgrims lost their lives as devotees gathered in large numbers for the darshan tokens”. The CM will visit Tirumala on Thursday and announce ex-gratia for families of the deceased.

The Chief Minister’s Office said he is closely monitoring the situation and directed officials to visit the spot and take all possible steps to provide relief to devotees and ensure the best medical treatment is provided to the injured.

Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha spoke to Tirupati district Superintendent of Police Subbaraidu over the phone. She directed officials to pay special attention to the safety of women, children and the elderly in the wake of the large crowds of devotees.

Former CM and YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the incident and urged the government to ensure the best medical care for those injured. Former TTD chairman Bhuma Karunakar Reddy slammed the state government, attributing the incident to administrative failure.

The Vaikunta Ekadasi festival is a 10-day special event attended by lakhs of devotees. The incident occurred as Chief Minister Naidu was seeing off Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Visakhapatnam after his brief visit to launch projects worth over Rs 2 lakh crore.

Deputy CM K Pawan Kalyan also expressed shock at the loss of lives and may join Naidu in visiting Tirupati.

“I am deeply distressed at the demise of devotees in a stampede that took place in different parts of Tirupati against the backdrop of the release of tickets for Vikunta Dwara Darshanam,” said the Minister for IT, Electronics and Education, N Lokesh Naidu.

An emergency meeting is underway at Tirupati headed by the TTD board chairman to take measures to control the crowd and ensure evacuation and treatment of those injured in the stampede.