At least six devotees lost their lives, and several others were injured in a stampede during the distribution of Tirumala temple darshan tickets in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, on the night of Wednesday, January 8. The incident occurred at the counters where Vaikunta Dwara Darshan tickets for visitors of the Tirumala Venkateshwara temple were to be issued on the morning of January 9. A large number of devotees had gathered to stand in queues for special darshan tickets, leading to the stampede.
Three women were among six devotees killed in the incident. One of the deceased women was from Tamil Nadu. Some others fell unconscious and they were shifted to Ruia Hospital.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the affairs of the famous Tirumala temple, had announced that special darshan tickets will be issued at 94 counters at nine places in Tirupati from 5 am on Thursday.
However, a large number of devotees started gathering on the night of January 8 itself, resulting in chaos. According to reports, devotees at the counter pushed each other to surge forward leading to the stampede.
“Several devotees came from Telangana, Tamil Nadu and other states for Vaikunta Ekadasi. Everyone injured is getting primary health care and the Collector and Executive Officer of the TTD are working to ensure that proper medical care is given,” Tirupati MLA from Jana Sena Party Arani Srinivasulu told the media.
The stampede occurred at Srinivasam, Bairagipatteda, and Satyanarayanapuram. Police and TTD officials rushed to the spot and launched rescue and relief operations. The TTD was planning to issue 1 20 lakh tokens on Thursday morning for Vaikunta Dwara Darshan on January 10, 11, and 12.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has expressed shock over the death of four devotees in the stampede.
In a statement. he said that he was pained over the incident. The Chief Minister spoke to officials over the phone and directed them to ensure the best treatment to those injured.
He asked senior officials to visit the scene and undertake relief operations. He was in touch with the district officials and TTD authorities to monitor the situation.
YSR Congress Party President and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has also expressed shock over the death of devotees in the stampede.
(With inputs from IANS)