In a tragic turn of events, six devotees lost their lives, and dozens were injured in a stampede at the MGM High School in Tirupati on Wednesday night. The incident occurred as thousands gathered to collect free darshan tokens for the Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple ahead of the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the temple, announced that 90 counters had been set up across eight centers in Tirupati to streamline token distribution. TTD Chairman B R Naidu assured the public that “elaborate arrangements” were in place for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshan, scheduled to begin Friday, January 10.
“We have made arrangements to ensure smooth darshan for the next 10 days, keeping in mind the heavy turnout of devotees,” Naidu told The Indian Express. VIP darshan will commence at 4:30 am on Friday, followed by sarva darshan at 8:00 am.
No Recommendation Letters
Special darshans, including those for senior citizens, the disabled, parents with infants, and NRIs, have been canceled during the 10-day festival. Recommendation letters will also not be accepted to prioritize darshan access through the Vaikuntha Dwaram for more devotees.
Naidu outlined additional crowd management measures, including deploying 3,000 police personnel and 1,550 TTD staff for security. Continuous distribution of water and Annaprasadam from 6:00 am to midnight has been arranged, along with reminders for devotees to wear masks for health and safety.
The stampede was triggered when a gate was opened to assist a woman feeling unwell, causing the crowd to surge forward. The situation quickly spiraled out of control, leading to the tragic loss of lives.
Political Criticisms Emerged
YSR Congress Party leader and former state minister Velampalli Srinivas criticized the state government and the TTD for alleged mismanagement of token distribution. He accused them of negligence, claiming the incident could have been avoided with better planning. Srinivas also alleged that VIP services were being prioritized over devotees’ welfare.
TTD chairman reiterated that only devotees with valid tokens or tickets would be allowed to join the darshan queues, urging visitors to adhere to their allocated time slots to avoid overcrowding.
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