Behind Tirupati Stampede: Gate Opened For Woman Who Was Unwell Led To Chaos

New Delhi:

Two days earlier than the Vaikuntha Ekadasi competition was set to start at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Andhra Pradesh’s Tirumala Hills, giant crowds descended at over 90 ticket counters arrange for the competition.

Preparations had been in place for the distribution of 1,20,000 tokens to devotees for the “sarva darshan” (free darshan) of Lord Venkateshwara Swamy for the primary three days of the annual darshan on January 10 to 12.

Darshan tokens for the 10-day festival had been to be handed from 5 am on Thursday, however 1000’s of individuals gathered an evening earlier than at counters arrange by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which oversees temple operations.

The distribution preparations had been made at 94 counters at three pilgrim lodges – Vishnu Nivasam, Srinivasam and Bhudevi complexes, moreover different locations like Satyanarayanapuram, Bairagipatteda and Ramanaidu faculty in Tirupati, officers stated.

Tirupati Municipal Commissioner N Moruya stated the situation went out of control on the counter arrange at MGM Excessive College in Bairagipatteda, close to the Vishnu Nivasam temple. Round 4,000-5,000 individuals thronged the counter from Wednesday morning. By the night, the gang turned unruly, resulting in pushing and jostling.

Based on BR Naidu, chairman of TTD, when a gate was opened to help a girl feeling unwell, the gang surged ahead , resulting in chaos.

Lack of sufficient preparations to handle the crowds resulted in a stampede late Wednesday night, during which not less than six devotees died and over 40 had been had been injured. Tirupati Collector S Venkateswar informed NDTV that it took round quarter-hour to manage evacuate the gang.

The competition permits devotees to hope to the deity Lord Venkateswara from the northern entrance of the temple.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated his ideas had been with those that misplaced their “close to and expensive ones”. Chief of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi urged Congress staff to offer all potential help on this troublesome time.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu condoled the incident, saying it “deeply disturbed” him. “The loss of life of a number of devotees in a stampede close to Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati for tokens to go to Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara has shocked me. This tragic incident, which happened at a time when devotees had gathered in giant numbers for tokens, deeply disturbed me,” Chandrababu Naidu wrote in a publish in Telugu on X.