Cop opened gate to assist unwell woman, causing deadly Tirupati stampede: Official

Had a police officer not opened the gate to assist an unwell woman to enter, when hundreds of devotees were waiting in the queue for temple darshan tickets near the MGM High School in Bairagipatteda in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati, the stampede could have been avoided and precious human lives possibly saved, an official of the temple management said on Jan 9.

The school is one of the several places where special darshan tickets were to be issued from 5 am, according to officials.

Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) — an independent government trust managed by the government of Andhra Pradesh, was quoted as saying that at the Bairagipatteda counter where the stampede happened, around 2000 devotees had gathered by the night of Jan 8.

“A Deputy Superintendent of Police opened the gate, and everyone rushed in at once, resulting in the stampede,” he said.

Rao, who did not name the police officer said, “Our planning was fine. But the DySP left a gate open and didn’t take necessary precautions. On preliminary inquiry, this seems to be the reason. A detailed inquiry needs to be done.”

Thousands of people had gathered to get tokens for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam on the occasion of Vaikunta Ekadasi, for special darshan at the Tirumala Venkateswara temple, officials said. TTD had planned to issue around 1.2 lakh tokens for darshan on Jan 10, 11, and 12.

Starting from Jan 8 afternoon, devotees had started to gather at the counters, and waited in queues all night for the tokens. A total of 94 counters were set up in nine places across Tirupati, officials were quoted as saying.

Tirupati Collector S Venkateswar was quoted as saying that around 40 persons were admitted to the hospital after the stampede.

“Six persons have died, including five women and one man. All of them are over 40 years old. The others are out of danger,” he said, adding that the police officer had opened the gate suddenly because a woman was unwell. “People barged in and the stampede ensued. The victims suffered chest compression and respiratory failure as a result,” he said.

However, several eyewitnesses blamed the police for not providing adequate protection.

Eyewitnesses recall horror

An eyewitness was quoted as saying, “Even if there were four police personnel at the gate, such a disaster would not have happened. Lives would not have been lost.” She said there was not sufficient police presence at the gate where the stampede happened.

Another woman said, “There were not enough barricades or lights. The gate opened suddenly, and everyone barged in.”

The son of one of the stampede victims was quoted as saying, “Thousands of people had gathered. The gate was locked. We were expecting the gate to be opened at midnight, but they opened it suddenly around 8.30 pm. Everyone rushed inside. My mother also went in. We thought she must’ve gone ahead and would buy tickets.”

But we couldn’t find her. We looked for two hours, and when I showed her photograph to a police officer, she said she had helped my mother get in an ambulance because her leg was injured. We were told she was in Ruia Hospital. We didn’t find her here. We went to SVIMS hospital. Then we saw a video of her receiving CPR near Ruia. Then we found out she was already dead and her body was in the mortuary.” he added.

Another eyewitness recalled, “We were there from around 1 pm, when there was little crowd. Towards the evening, the crowd grew bigger, but we didn’t see any police personnel to control the crowd. Suddenly, the gate was opened. Everyone barged in, my friend got stuck in the stampede and his leg was fractured.”

“It was very poorly planned. This is the first time I’ve had such an experience, I’ve come here for Vaikunta Ekadasi many times,” he said.

Top leaders condole incident

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and several top leaders of the country on Jan 9 mourned the loss of lives of devotees due to a stampede in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati, and offered their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

Murmu prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

"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," Murmu said in a post on X.

The incident occurred close to the Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara ticketing counter, when hundreds of visitors jostled to get tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam, according to officials from Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams — an online portal handling distribution of tickets.

PM Modi expressed deep sorrow over the demise of the devotees and prayed for a speedy recovery for the injured.

“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.” Prime Minister's Office wrote on X.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed his shock and offered condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident.

"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," Shah posted on X.

“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,” he added.

Offering condolences to the victims' families, Rahul Gandhi urged Congress leaders and workers to provide all possible assistance during this difficult time.

“The tragic stampede in Tirupati is deeply saddening. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. Wishing a swift recovery to all those injured. I urge Congress leaders and workers to provide all possible assistance during this difficult time,” Gandhi wrote on X.

Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal also expressed his grief and prayed for the peace of the departed souls in the incident.

"This accident that happened in Tirupati temple is very sad. May God give place to the departed souls in his lotus feet. I pray to God that the devotees who have been injured get well soon and return to their homes," Kejriwal posted on X.

Several other union ministers, opposition leaders, and other top political names also offered to those who lost lives in the incident .

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his deep shock over the death of devotees in the stampede and directed higher officials to go to the spot and take relief measures to provide better medical treatment to the injured.

In a post on X, Naidu wrote, “The death of several devotees in a stampede near Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati for tokens to visit Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara has shocked me. This tragic incident, which took place at a time when devotees had gathered in large numbers for tokens, deeply disturbed me.”

“In the wake of information that the condition of some of them is critical, I have directed higher officials to go to the spot and take relief measures... to provide better medical treatment to the injured and save their lives. I am talking to the district and TTD officials from time to time and am taking stock of the situation,” he added.