A tragic incident unfolded in Tirupati on Wednesday night (January 8) as a stampede at token counters for Vaikuntha Ekadashi celebrations claimed four lives, including that of a woman from Salem, Tamil Nadu, and left several others injured.
The stampede occurred at multiple token issuance centers where thousands of devotees had gathered to secure entry tokens for the Vaikuntha Dwaram darshan of Lord Venkateswara, scheduled from January 10 to 19. Despite the counters being set to open at 5 AM, devotees began queuing as early as the previous evening, leading to overcrowding and chaos.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed his condolences and spoke with officials to ensure prompt medical care for the injured. The Chief Minister directed senior officials to visit the site and oversee relief efforts. “Relief measures must be expedited, and priority should be given to providing the best possible treatment to the injured,” the CMO stated.