In a tragic incident on Wednesday night, at least six devotees lost their lives and dozens were injured in a stampede at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala Hills. The chaos ensued as hundreds of devotees jostled for tickets for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam, which is set to commence on January 10.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman BR Naidu confirmed the identification of one body and explained that the stampede occurred when a DSP opened the gates, causing a surge of people pushing forward. Reports indicate that six individuals have died as a result.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his deep sorrow over the incident in a post on X, stating, “A few devotees dying in a stampede near Vishnu Nivasam in Tirupati while trying for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam has grieved me intensely.”
In response to the tragedy, the TTD chairman mentioned that Naidu conducted a teleconference to address the situation and expressed dissatisfaction with the temple employees. He suggested that the incident might have been due to administrative lapses and announced that the Chief Minister would visit Tirupati on Thursday to comfort the injured.
Naidu emphasized the need to prevent such incidents in the future, stating, “The CM directed us that these kinds of incidents should not recur. Taking this as a lesson, it is incumbent upon all of us to avert these kinds of incidents in the future.” He also mentioned that the Chief Minister would announce ex gratia on Thursday.
TTD board member Bhanu Prakash termed the stampede as unfortunate and sought the forgiveness of Srivari (Lord Venkateswara Swamy) devotees. He acknowledged the administrative shortcomings and assured that stringent action would be taken, although the lost lives cannot be brought back.
