Chaos became tragedy in Tirupati with a stampede killing six persons who jostled for tokens that authorized them to reach the Vaikuntha Dwara Sarvadarshanam. The special darshan for the benefit of devotees at Vishnu Niwasam literally became a testing ground on its first day as hundreds of excited devotees forward surged to go inside the darshan hall that finally resulted in this chaos.
Among the dead was a pilgrim from Salem in Tamil Nadu. Sixteen others were injured and were immediately taken to Ruia Hospital. Eyewitness accounts said it was a horrific scenario as as many as 60 people fell upon one another in the rush to collect tokens to have a glimpse of the deity. Some pilgrims alleged negligence by police deployed at the site.
BR Naidu, chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Board, ruled out any conspiracy theory and termed the incident as an unfortunate accident. “I had suspected something could go wrong and warned officials not to take it easy. There were rumors that not everyone may be allowed in Tirumala,” he said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also expressed shock over the incident: “The death of several devotees in a stampede near Vishnu Niwasam has deeply disturbed me.” He ordered officials to ensure immediate relief measures, with increased medical care for the injured. The chief minister is likely to visit Tirupati to assess the situation firsthand.
Local media reported that hundreds of devotees had arrived to the temple for prayers and were being regulated by police and volunteers. There were reports also that a lack of ambulance drivers delayed the transfer of the injured to hospitals.
Token distribution was supposed to start the next morning at 5 am and already people were queuing up. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered to determine whether there was any negligence on the part of the authorities in managing the crowd.
Andhra MLA and TDP General Secretary Nara Lokesh said he was pained by the stampede and called for more effective safety measures to avoid such incidents in the future. “The government stands by the families of the deceased,” he affirmed.
Congress leader YS Sharmila also condoled the deaths, saying, “It’s very unfortunate that six devotees lost their lives in the stampede at Vishnu Niwasam. The government, besides providing better medical services, should extend support to the families of the victims.” She demanded immediate inquiry into the administrative lapses responsible for the tragedy.
