A tragic stampede during the Vaikuntha Dwara Sarvadarshanam token distribution leaves six dead, 16 injured, and raises questions over crowd management.
January 8, 2025: In a tragic incident at Vishnu Niwasam, Tirupati, six devotees lost their lives in a stampede during the distribution of tokens for Vaikuntha Dwara Sarvadarshanam, a special ten-day darshan that began on Friday. Sixteen others sustained injuries and were rushed to Ruia Hospital for treatment.
The chaos erupted as a massive crowd gathered to secure the tokens, leading to a stampede. Witnesses reported that approximately 60 people fell on top of one another near the token distribution counter. Visuals showed a heavy police presence, ambulances rushing the injured to the hospital, and frantic scenes as people tried to assist those trapped.
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One of the victims hailed from Salem, Tamil Nadu. Allegations of police negligence in managing the crowd have been raised by some devotees. Locals further complained about the absence of ambulance drivers, causing delays in shifting the injured to medical care.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Board Chairperson, BR Naidu, dismissed any conspiracy and termed the incident an accident. “I had suspected something could go wrong and warned officials not to take it easy. There were rumors that not everyone might be allowed in Tirumala, which contributed to the chaos,” Mr. Naidu stated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, saying, “Pained by the stampede in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover soon.”
Pained by the stampede in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover soon. The AP Government is providing all possible assistance to those affected: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 8, 2025
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu described the incident as deeply disturbing. He assured that officials were taking all possible relief measures and monitoring the situation closely. He plans to visit Tirupati to oversee the arrangements personally.
తిరుమల శ్రీవారి వైకుంఠ ద్వార దర్శనం టోకెన్ల కోసం తిరుపతిలోని విష్ణు నివాసం దగ్గర జరిగిన తోపులాటలో పలువురు భక్తులు మృతి చెందడం దిగ్భ్రాంతిని కలిగించింది. టోకెన్ల కోసం భక్తులు పెద్ద ఎత్తున తరలివచ్చిన సందర్భంలో చోటుచేసుకున్న ఈ విషాదకర ఘటన నన్ను తీవ్రంగా కలిచివేసింది. మరి కొందరి…
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) January 8, 2025
Nara Lokesh, Andhra MLA and TDP General Secretary, called for better arrangements by TTD to prevent such incidents, emphasizing the government’s support for the victims’ families. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and YS Sharmila also extended their condolences, calling for immediate investigations into the management failures that led to the tragedy.
The tokens were initially scheduled to be distributed at 5 AM the following day, but the overwhelming crowd had already queued up. A probe has been launched to investigate potential lapses in police and administrative arrangements during the event.
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