4 killed in stampede at Tirupati
What's the story
A stampede at the famous Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh has claimed four lives, ANI reported. The stampede took place near the Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan ticketing centers, where around 4,000 devotees had queued up since morning to get tickets for the Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan. The chaos broke out when devotees were allowed to queue up at Bairagi Pattida Park for token distribution, India Today reported.
Official response
TTD board chairman calls emergency meeting post-incident
In light of the tragedy, BR Naidu, Chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board, has called for an emergency meeting. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also spoke to officials about the treatment being provided to the injured. He has ordered higher officials to go to the scene of the incident and take relief measures to ensure that the injured get better treatment, the CMO said.
Twitter Post
Visuals from Tirupati
#WATCH | Andhra Pradesh: Four people died in a stampede that occurred at Vishnu Nivasam in Tirupati during the distribution of Vaikunta Dwara Sarva Darshan tokens.
— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2025
CM N Chandrababu Naidu spoke to officials over the phone about the treatment being provided to the injured in the… pic.twitter.com/655uJ7NEiK
Event details
TTD's preparations for Vaikuntha Dwara darshan
The incident comes just a day after TTD Executive Officer J Syamala Rao elaborated on arrangements for the upcoming Vaikuntha Ekadasi and Vaikuntha Dwara Darshanam from January 10 to 19, 2025. Rao had stressed that "providing Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan to common pilgrims is the highest priority for the TTD." Massive arrangements were made to accommodate up to seven lakh devotees during the period. The Vaikuntha Dwara will remain open for 10 days with special protocols.