As Tirupati mourns its loss, the tragedy has raised urgent questions about crowd management, safety protocols, and the respect owed to devotees.
Published Jan 10, 2025 | 11:55 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 10, 2025 | 3:06 PM
Relatives transporting the body of a person who died in the Tirupati stampede. (Nitika Shivani/South First)
What was meant to be a day of spiritual devotion turned into a horrific tragedy near the Tirupati Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh on the night of Wednesday, 7 January, raising questions about mismanagement.
A stampede broke out near the Vaikunta Ekadashi token distribution counter at MGM school in Tirupati, leaving six devotees dead and many others injured. South First spoke to the victims of the tragedy on how things unfolded.
Ahead of the Vaikuntha Ekadashi in Tirumala, tokens to attend the festivities were supposed to be distributed to devotees at eight centres of Tirupati town from Thursday morning. However, many people, including those from neighbouring states, went there as early as Wednesday morning and formed queue lines.
Tirupati Superintendent of Police (SP) was Subbarayudu supervising the arrangements at the token issuance centers. Later, at around 9 pm on Wednesday, a rush by the devotees at the MGM School centre resulted in a stampede.
Police stated that the rush occurred when people mistakenly believed token distribution had started as security personnel opened a gate to assist a person who had reportedly fallen ill.
The incident has sparked outrage over inadequate crowd control, allegations of mismanagement and government negligence.
Following the rush and the stampede that followed, six lives were lost and over 30 others were injured. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, along with other ministers, made the officials coordinating the crowd responsible for the mishap.
The six victims of the stampede were Mallika (49), Nirmala (52), Lavanya (40), Rajini (47), Naidu Babu (51) and Santhi (34)
A pious devotee, Malliga had travelled with her husband from Salem in Tamil Nadu to offer prayers. Her husband was furious about how the tragedy was being downplayed. “The FIR claims she was sick when we arrived, but that’s a blatant lie. They are trying to protect themselves by blaming the dead,” he said.
It is said that it was Malliga who fell ill while in the queue to obtain the tokens.
Nirmala, a native of Palakkad in Kerala and the mother of three, was separated from her family during the chaos. Her relatives, waiting outside Ruia Hospital, said, “She was everything to us. All we wanted was a peaceful darshan. What we got instead was this nightmare.”
Nirmala had embarked on a pilgrimage to Tirupati with a group of six relatives, reaching the temple on Tuesday night. Her untimely demise has left her family in profound shock and grief.
Jagathambal, a Panchayat member from Vannamada in Palakkad, confirmed that she was a native of Kozhinjampara in Palakkad and had been on a 10-day pilgrimage with her husband, Shanmughan, and their daughter.
Lavanya, Rajini, and Santhi were natives of Visakhapatnam and Naidu Babu belonged to Narsipatnam.
A regular visitor to the temple, Naidu Babu tried to shield others in the crowd but succumbed to the chaos. “He always believed this pilgrimage brought him closer to God,” his wife said tearfully.
Her tears were endless, each sob a painful reminder of how her life had changed in an instant. She clutched his belongings — his slippers, a small purse, and a worn-out temple brochure — as if she could hold onto the memories that now seemed so far away. The hospital staff and onlookers were silent, offering no words of comfort, as the rawness of her grief filled the room.
The tragedy unfolded as thousands gathered near Vishnu Nivasam to collect free darshan tokens. Witnesses described the situation as sheer pandemonium. “There were no barricades, no police presence. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened,” said a local vendor.
At Ruia Hospital and Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS), families were in anguish, searching for their loved ones. Malliga’s husband described the ordeal: “We were sent from one hospital to another with no clear information. It was a complete mess.”
In a controversial turn of events, the FIR filed after Malliga’s death stated that she lost consciousness due to an existing illness. Her husband vehemently denied this. “They are tweaking the FIR to reduce the death count. My wife died because of their negligence, not because of her health,” he said.
This has raised concerns about attempts to downplay the scale of the tragedy.
The families of the victims are left grappling with grief and anger. For them, the pilgrimage was meant to be a spiritual experience, but it turned into a nightmare.
“We came here seeking blessings, but instead, we are returning with bodies,” said Malliga’s husband. “How can faith survive when devotees are treated like this?”
Meanwhile, the police at the scene stated that no changes had been made to the FIR and reassured the husband by informing him that a proper post-mortem report would be sent along with the deceased’s body to their respective states.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh government announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹25 lakh for the families of the deceased. However, the gesture did little to ease the anger of grieving relatives.
“What use is ₹25 lakh now? It won’t bring anyone back,” said Nirmala’s relative.
Pawan Kalyan visited the site and expressed his outrage. “How could this happen? Where was the planning? Where was the police? The authorities need to be held accountable for this,” he said, adding weight to public criticism of the government’s handling of the incident.
Naidu announced a judicial inquiry into the incident and suspended two officials pending further investigation. While some see this as a step in the right direction, others believe it was not enough.
Rana, a local vendor, voiced his frustration with the political fallout and the suspensions that followed the tragedy. “There’s no point in making statements now when the damage is already done,” he said with a tone filled with exasperation.
“They suspend or scold a couple of officials, announce an inquiry, and expect that to solve everything. But the lives lost, the grief felt by the families, none of that can be undone with a few quick fixes,” he said.
As Tirupati mourns its loss, the tragedy has raised urgent questions about crowd management, safety protocols, and the respect owed to devotees.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
