Tirupati temple stampede: How opening of gates to let unwell woman exit ticket queue led to chaos

At least six people were killed and dozens injured in a stampede in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati on Wednesday evening.

Overcrowding and jostling among hundreds of devotees for tickets to a religious event is suspected to have caused the stampede .

The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Here’s all we know about it.

Tirupati stampede

Devotees from all over the nation flocked to the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on the Tirumala Hills on Wednesday morning, two days prior to the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival, to obtain up tokens for the annual Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at more than 90 ticket counters.

Tokens were being distributed at MGM High School in Bairagipatteda near the Vishnu Nivasam temple.

By evening, the crowd became unruly, leading to pushing and jostling, which killed six people and injured over 40 others.

At least three of the victims are women, and the injured pilgrims, many of whom hail from Tamil Nadu, have been rushed to the Ruia Hospital for treatment.

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Visuals showed several people being moved to ambulances and a significant police presence in the area.

Up to 60 people reportedly fell on one another while obtaining tokens at the counter, according to witnesses.

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The reason the crowd gathered

The 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam (darshan of the deity from the northern entrance of the temple) commences from January 10.

For the first three days of the annual darshan on January 10–12, plans were in place to distribute 120,000 tokens to devotees for Lord Venkateshwara Swamy’s “sarva darshan” (free darshan).

In addition to other locations including Satyanarayanapuram, Bairagipatteda, and Ramanaidu school in Tirupati, the distribution arrangements were established at 94 counters at three pilgrim lodges: Vishnu Nivasam, Srinivasam, and Bhudevi complexes, officials added.

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The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which is in charge of temple operations, set up counters the night before, where thousands of devotees queued to receive darshan tokens for the 10-day celebration, which were scheduled to be issued at 5 am on Thursday.

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Overcrowding & lack of adequate arrangements

The stampede is thought to have been caused in part by overcrowding.

On Wednesday morning, 4,000–5,000 people rushed the counter. By evening, things had gotten out of hand and there was jostling and pushing.

The TTD Chairman, BR Naidu, stated that the stampede started when a gate was opened to help a woman who was unwell, but the crowd suddenly rushed forward, causing chaos, according to the report.

The lack of adequate arrangements to manage the crowds resulted in a stampede.

Several people said that the police had been negligent. Additionally, locals claim that the absence of ambulance drivers delayed the transfer of the injured to the hospital.

A woman who went to Tirupati with 20 of her family members told reporters, “As soon as the police officials opened the gate, the pilgrims rushed to purchase tokens. There was no such system for obtaining tokens earlier.”

“A stampede occurred due to the heavy rush. Out of twenty members of my family, six have been injured. We joined the queue at 11 o’clock. While waiting in the queue, we were provided with milk and biscuits. However, a large number of male pilgrims rushed for tokens, causing injuries to several women, who were then shifted to the hospital,” she added.

Naidu ruled out any conspiracy and said it was an accident. He said, “I had suspected something could go wrong and warned officials not to take it easy. There were rumours spread that not everyone may be allowed in Tirumala.”

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TTD issues apology

Calling the stampede “unfortunate,” TTD board member Bhanu Prakash sought the forgiveness of Srivari (Lord Venkateswara Swamy) devotees over the incident, PTI reported.

He stated that there was a lapse and that although strict measures were implemented.

Videos went viral showing police officers performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a couple of female devotees and transporting injured people in ambulances.

The chairman of the TTD board has called an emergency meeting in Tirupati to decide how to manage the crowd and guarantee the evacuation and medical care of those injured in the stampede.

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Inquiry ordered

The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

The Chief Minister’s Office said he is closely monitoring the situation, and instructed officials to go to the site and do everything within their power to help the injured and offer relief to the devotees.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said he is saddened at the “ghastly incident in which pilgrims lost their lives as devotees gathered in large numbers for the darshan tokens.”

On Thursday, the CM will visit to Tirumala and announce ex-gratia for the families of the deceased. In addition to expressing grief at the deaths, Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan said he could travel with Naidu to Tirupati.

Subbaraidu, the district superintendent of police in Tirupati, was contacted by Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha.

Following the enormous gatherings of devotees, she instructed officials to give special consideration to the safety of women, children, and the elderly.

Leaders mourn the loss of life

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his deep sorrow over the devotees’ deaths in the stampede. He claimed that the state government was helping the incident’s victims in every way possible.

In a social media post on X, the PM’s Office wrote, “Pained by the stampede in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover soon. The AP Government is providing all possible assistance to those affected: PM @narendramodi.”

Union home minister Amit Shah also conveyed his sorrow and sent prayers to the families of those killed in the Tirupati tragedy. He also prayed for the injured people’s quick recovery.

“Pained by the unfortunate incident of the stampede in the Tirupati temple. My sincere condolences to the families of the deceased. May the injured recover at the earliest. I am deeply shocked by the stampede incident at the Tirupati Vishnu Niwasam ticket counter. I pray for the souls of the devotees who lost their lives in this unfortunate incident to rest in peace. I wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Amit Shah posted on X.

Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, asked Congress to provide all possible assistance at this difficult time.

“I am deeply distressed at the demise of devotees in a stampede that took place in different parts of Tirupati against the backdrop of the release of tickets for Vikunta Dwara Darshanam,” said the Minister for IT, Electronics and Education, N Lokesh Naidu.

Former CM and YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the incident and asked the government to ensure the best medical care for those injured.

Former TTD Chairman Bhuma Karunakar Reddy slammed the state government and attributed the incident to administrative failure.

Congress’s YS Sharmila described the incident as “extremely tragic” and said that the reason for the stampede is the “management shortcomings in the governance system” while calling for “an immediate investigation.”

With inputs from agencies