President Droupadi Murmu expressed her deep sorrow over the tragic loss of lives in a stampede that occurred in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday morning. The incident resulted in six fatalities and left over 40 others injured.
In a heartfelt message shared on social media platform X , President Murmu conveyed her condolences to the grieving families of the victims. She said, “Distressed to know that a stampede in Tirupati led to the loss of life of many devotees. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
Distressed to know that a stampede in Tirupati led to loss of life of many devotees. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for speedy recovery of the injured.
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 9, 2025
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also offered his condolences following the incident. Naidu is scheduled to meet with the families of the deceased later in the day to offer his support.
Overcrowding Led To Stampede
The tragic stampede occurred near Vishnu Niwasam, close to the Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara ticketing counter, during the distribution of ‘darshan’ tokens. Hundreds of devotees had gathered to collect the tokens for the upcoming Vaikunta Dwara Darshan event, which is scheduled to take place at the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple from January 10 to 19.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his deep sorrow over the incident, stating that the state government was offering all possible assistance to those affected. He also assured that the authorities were working to prevent any further tragedies.
Vaikunta Dwara Darshan allows devotees to pass through a sacred gate to receive the blessings of Lord Venkateswara. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) had announced that offline tokens for the event would be issued starting Thursday, with nine distribution centers set up in Tirupati. However, large crowds, some arriving from far and wide, caused significant congestion at these centers by the end of the day, which led to the unfortunate stampede.
Authorities are investigating the incident and have promised measures to improve crowd management at the token distribution centers, ensuring such a tragedy does not occur again.
(With ANI inputs)
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