Six devotees, including five women, lost their lives, and 29 others sustained injuries in a stampede during the distribution of Vaikunta Dwara Darshan tickets for the Tirumala temple in Tirupati on Wednesday night. The tragedy occurred at Srinivasam, Bairagipatteda, and Satyanarayanapuram, where devotees had gathered in large numbers for tickets to be issued on Thursday morning.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the temple’s affairs, had announced the sale of special darshan tickets at 94 counters across nine locations in Tirupati. However, the announcement led to a massive rush, with devotees starting to queue up from Wednesday evening. As the counters opened, the crowd surged forward, resulting in chaos and a stampede.
The TTD planned to issue 1.20 lakh tokens for Vaikunta Dwara Darshan, scheduled on January 10, 11, and 12. The massive turnout of devotees, eager to secure tokens, created an uncontrollable situation. Officials said the stampede broke out at multiple locations due to heavy pushing and shoving in the crowd.
The injured were immediately shifted to Ruia and SVIMS hospitals for treatment. Rescue and relief operations were launched by police and TTD officials. The death toll may increase, as some of the injured are reported to be in critical condition.
The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday announced compensation of Rs.25 lakh each to the families of the six devotees who died in the stampede on Wednesday night during distribution of tickets for a sacred event at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple.
Revenue minister A. Satyaprasad made the announcement after a ministerial team called on the families of the deceased at Ruia Hospital.
The delegation which included ministers Anita, Parthasarthy and Anam Ramnarayan Reddy also called on the injured at SVIMS Hospital.
The ministers termed the incident as unfortunate. They said the investigations were on to find out if the incident was a result of any hasty action or lack of coordination.
Home Minister Anita said the probe was also on to ascertain if it was an accident or a conspiracy. She said the CCTV footage would reveal whose lapses led to the tragedy.
The Home Minister said stringent action would be taken against those who were found negligent.
The Tirupati East Police have registered two separate FIRs following the deaths of multiple devotees during the Vaikunta Ekadasi celebrations in the temple town. The incidents occurred on January 8 at different locations in the city, highlighting the challenges posed by overcrowding during the annual religious festival.
Tirupati District Collector Venkateshwar and TTD Executive Officer Shyamala Rao rushed to Ruia Hospital to oversee the relief efforts and ensure proper treatment for the injured.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed his anguish over the incident. He instructed senior officials to visit the scene and supervise rescue operations. He also directed hospital authorities to provide the best medical care to those injured and remained in constant touch with district officials and TTD authorities.
Former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party leader Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed shock and condolences over the deaths. Efforts are ongoing to restore normalcy and manage the situation to avoid further incidents.
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