Tirumala: How a gate opening by Cops led to tragic stampede at Venkateswara Swamy temple

Tirupati: Mismanagement by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) authorities is being blamed for a stampede in Tirumala.

At least six devotees died and 40 were injured in a stampede in Tirumala on Wednesday night. The stampede occurred when hundreds of devotees jostled for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam tickets at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala Hills.

The deceased were identified as Malika (49) from Tamil Nadu, and Rajini (47), Shanti (40), Naidubabu (51), Rajeswari (47) and Alaga Rani (42) -- all from Andhra Pradesh.

Survivors of the deadly stampede have recounted the horror, with complaints ranging from long waiting hours to get tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam to sudden opening of the gates that prompted the crowd to surge ahead.

The incident occurred near Vishnu Niwasam close to the Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara ticketing counter, during the distribution of 'darshan' tokens. Hundreds of devotees turned up from across the country for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam commencing on January 10.

According to the TTD officials, a DSP opened the gates...and immediately everybody tried to push which led to the stampede.

A man from Andhra Pradesh lost his wife:

One of the devotees who lost his wife during the stampede said, "My wife, me, and my son were ahead. With a huge crowd, we thought she was ahead in the queue. We got the tickets and we came back searching for her. We could see the crowded situation, an ambulance running, and asked the police if they saw my wife. One of the cops said she fell unconscious and was taken to the nearby hospital. We searched 3 hospitals and then we found a WhatsApp video where the cops were doing CPR. Cops did not check her identity or inform her family. She was silently kept in the mortuary."

According to the son of the deceased woman from Andhra Pradesh, a group of 20 members visited Tirumala and were in the queue for tokens.

"Thousands of devotees were locked in queue lines on Wednesday night. At around 12, the gates were open and the crowd started pushing each other. Many were injured with hand and leg fractures. The management could have released queue lines one at a time," said the son of the deceased woman.

Total Mismangement

Speaking to the media, a devotee who was injured in the stampede said, "I have been visiting Tirumala for every Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam, never in the last few years had such an incident happened. This system for obtaining tokens was new and had not been implemented before. After the stampede, the police tried to calm up the situation. But when more people died, the news came out. Around 6 members of our group were injured during the stampede. It is total mismanagement by the TTD."

We thought all of us were dead

"For five minutes we thought all of us were dead. I have been coming to the temple for the past 25 years and it has never happened like this," D Venkata Lakshmi told a vernacular news channel. She said six boys pulled her aside and gave some water to drink.

According to Lakshmi, people rushed forward and up to 10 people fell down where she was standing. "Though I was raising a hue and cry that I was falling on the side, people were still rushing from behind and could not be controlled. I don't know if they were pushing ahead, but the men were uncontrollable. People were walking over devotees. I could not even breathe for a long time," she said. Further, had the police allowed devotees to proceed in an orderly way, this disaster could have been averted, she said and highlighted that people could not make sense of what was happening.

Another devotee said she came around 11 am on Wednesday and the gate was opened at 7 pm. "One person told devotees not to rush and go in a line, but who will listen. Police were outside, not inside," she said.

A male devotee insisted the police were told about the presence of 5,000 devotees. He claimed that police opened the gates suddenly, leading to the stampede.

Two Major Festivals:

Every year, Tirumala temple experiences a surge in footfall during Vaikunta Ekadasi, with devotees flocking from across the country to partake in the auspicious rituals.

Historically, two major events—Brahmotsavam, a nine-day festival, and Vaikunta Ekadasi, initially observed for a single day—have drawn massive crowds. In the 1980s and 1990s, temple authorities extended the festivities by recognizing Vaikunta Dwadashi as an additional sacred day.

The Uttara Dwaram around the sanctum of Lord Venkateshwara is kept open for ten days.

Devotees prepare for Vaikunta Ekadasi by wearing the Govinda Mala for 41 days, donning yellow clothes, and walking barefoot as a mark of devotion.

CM Naidu to visit Tirumala:

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman BR Naidu said a DSP opened the gates…and immediately everybody pushing ahead led to this stampede.

According to the TTD Chairman, there is some suspicion that the stampede happened due to (the temple) administration, he said.

He said Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is visiting Tirupati on Thursday to comfort the injured persons.

Chandrababu Naidu will be visiting SVR Ruia Government General Hospital and SVIMS Hospital between noon and 3 pm, where the injured are being treated. The CM will also conduct a review meeting with the Executive Officer and others over the incident.

All ready for Jan 10:

Elaborate arrangements have been made for the ten days of Vaikunta Dwara Darshan to be held from January 10 has been made, given the huge turnout of devotees. VIP darshan commences on January 10 at 4.30 am while the Sarva Darshan begins at 8 am.

Keeping in view the larger interests of the pilgrims, SSD tokens were issued at 90 counters set up at 8 centers in Tirupati and 4 counters at one center in Tirumala for the Tirumala locals alone.

All the privileged darshans including senior citizens, disabled, parents with infants, NRI, and others remain canceled during these ten days. Recommendation Letters will also not be accepted during these ten days to allow more common devotees to have darshan through Vaikuntha Dwaram.

TTD Chairman reiterated that only devotees with darshan tokens or tickets are allowed in the queues due to limited accommodation available in Tirumala. Devotees are requested to come only on the allotted date and time on their token or tickets to avoid long waiting hours.