President Droupadi Murmu expressed deep sorrow over the tragic stampede at the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, which claimed six lives and left 40 others injured.
In a post shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday morning, President Murmu stated: “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.”
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who previously expressed condolences for the victims, is scheduled to meet the families of the deceased later in the day.
The stampede occurred near Vishnu Niwasam, close to the Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara ticketing counter, during the distribution of ‘darshan’ tokens. Heavy crowds gathered at the token distribution centers throughout Wednesday, leading to congestion and the eventual tragedy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the incident on Wednesday. In his statement, PM Modi conveyed his condolences and assured that the Andhra Pradesh government is providing all necessary assistance to the victims and their families.
The Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan at the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple is scheduled to take place from January 10 to 19. This annual event allows devotees to pass through the sacred Vaikuntha gate to receive blessings from Lord Venkateswara.
To manage the influx of devotees, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) announced the issuance of offline tokens at nine distribution centers in Tirupati, starting Thursday.
Since Wednesday morning, devotees from various parts of the country flocked to Tirupati to collect ‘darshan’ tokens. By the end of the day, the centers were overwhelmed with heavy crowds, resulting in congestion and chaos.
The tragedy has prompted widespread condolences and a call for better crowd management to prevent such incidents in the future. Authorities continue to monitor the situation and provide support to the affected families.
