The Tirumala temple, revered as the abode of Lord Venkateshwara, witnessed an unprecedented tragedy on Wednesday as a stampede claimed six lives, most of them women, and injured several others. The incident occurred near counters distributing free darshan tickets for the auspicious Vykunta Ekadasi festival. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) had issued 1.2 lakh tickets across 94 counters in Tirupati and one in Tirumala for January 10-12 darshans. Chaos erupted when a section of the crowd surged, reportedly triggered by a misunderstanding as a woman fainted near the gates. Heartbreaking visuals of unconscious devotees being carried to safety or receiving medical aid on the roads underscored the severity of the situation, sparking outrage among locals who blamed poor crowd management by the police and TTD staff.
Questions have been raised about the coordination between the TTD, police, and district administration in managing the large crowd. Eyewitnesses and victims’ families criticized the inadequate police presence and slow response to the crisis. FIRs have been filed for the incidents near Ramanaidu School and Vishnunivasam Centre. Health Minister Sathya Kumar visited the injured, assuring corrective measures to prevent such tragedies in the future. The Andhra Pradesh government announced an ex-gratia payment of ?25 lakh to the families of the deceased, which included devotees from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. Families of victims expressed their grief, with one family from Vizag mourning the loss of Lavanya, a devout pilgrim.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu visited the stampede site, visibly angered by the mismanagement, and demanded accountability from officials, including TTD Executive Officer Shyamala Rao and district authorities. Officials shifted blame to a senior district police officer accused of irresponsibly opening a gate that led to the chaos. The CM also met the injured to offer condolences and pledged to ensure such incidents do not recur. The tragedy has cast a shadow over the otherwise auspicious festival, with calls for better coordination and crowd control measures to prevent future mishaps.
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