Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh – The Vaikuntha Ekadasi festival, a sacred occasion for devotees of Lord Venkateswara Swamy, turned tragic when a stampede broke out near a token distribution counter in Tirupati on Wednesday evening. Over 4,000 people had gathered at MGM High School in Bairagipatteda to collect free darshan tokens, but a lack of proper crowd management led to chaos.
Devotees had arrived the night before to secure one of the 1,20,000 tokens for the much-anticipated “sarva darshan.” The crowd at certain locations grew uncontrollable despite 94 counters being set up across the city, including Vishnu Nivasam, Srinivasam, and Bhudevi complexes.
When a gate was opened to help a sick woman, things became more heated. Six people were killed and around 40 injured in the stampede that broke out as the crowd rushed forward. The catastrophe brought to light insufficient crowd control preparations.
Rahul Gandhi, the head of the opposition, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi both offered their condolences. N Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, described the occurrence as extremely upsetting and assured the relatives of the victims that they would receive the care they needed.
Instead, the annual festival, meant to offer solace and devotion, brought grief to many, raising questions about the preparedness for such massive gatherings.
